I'd Do Anything
by PhantomWolf24
Summary: LavixOC and just a little TykxOC action too, but really it's lavixOC. First fic ever so please review or message me! The story really starts to move along around later chapters. No yaoi here, sorry! hiatus over! Some language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: ok, so my first story period. it's a lavixoc story, and i'm trying to make it gradual, so don't kill me if things seem slow at first! Things like this need cultivating. I noticed there weren't a lot of D.Gray-Man fics here...so my mission is to get another one out there!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own DGM or any of its characters!

* * *

He stood at the edge of the cliff, looking off into the distance. The wind blew, his long hair a ribbon, dancing. He narrowed his eyes, taking note of the village several miles away. Unconsciously, he brought his hand to his weapon, gripping its handle tightly. There may be enemy residing there. If he was lucky, his true target would also be there. A stronger gust blew, sweeping his bangs away to reveal blue-gray eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips. He was going to –

"Oi Kanda! Quit looking so dramatic and come over here! We finally found him!"

Kanda turned around slowly, eyeing the young girl who spoke. She was petite, with bright coffee-colored eyes and shoulder-length straight black hair. She brushed her side-swept bangs out of her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"So, are you coming or not? Mari thinks he may have found the General!" She waved him over to where they were standing.

"What can you hear with your ears, Mari?" the young girl asked.

"The General seems to be drawing several yards away from here." The large boulder of a man stated.

"It's about time," Kanda said irritably.

"Let's go guys!" the girl shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

They walked for several minutes and soon enough, they could spot an elderly man, capturing the landscape before him onto his canvas.

"General!" the girl yelled, waving towards the old man. He turned around surprised and broke into a smile.

"Oh! Long time, no see!"

"General, we must ask you to come with us to headquarters," Kanda said.

"Oh, come on Kanda! Don't be so serious all the time! It's been a while, why don't we spend some time catching up?" _We should tell him about Deesha Barry as well_, she thought

* * *

"I see," General Tiedoll sobbed. "So Deesha is dead. That kid used to always play pranks on me…breaking my glasses with the charity bell…he was such a good kid, too." He wiped his tears with his sleeve.

"The body was shipped to headquarters yesterday," Mari said, his voice deep.

"The charity bell has been taken as well," Kanda added. "General Tiedoll, you must accompany us to headquarters."

"Deesha's hometown was Bodrum right?" Tiedoll sniffled. He sat down in the grass and began to draw.

"Ah, yes," Mari answered.

"Uh…General? Right now, both you and your innocence are being targeted by the enemy. I'd suggest –" the girl started.

"It's just what I can remember, so it may be a little off." He stood up to reveal a beautiful drawing of a seaside town. "Deesha, I'm sorry that it's just a drawing, but sending your hometown to you. May you rest in peace." He lifted a match and began to burn the corner of his drawing. "I cannot return now. We're at war and I must fulfill my duties as a Marshall. I also must find new exorcists."

_Typical of the master,_ the three students thought.

Kanda and Mari bowed to their general. "We will accompany you, General."

The general smiled at his students.

"Um, General?" the girl asked.

"Yes, Mizuki?"

"I have further orders from Komui-san. He didn't exactly think you'd come back either," she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly. "As soon as we found you, I was supposed give him a report and go off on another mission. I apologize," she bowed respectfully.

"That's all right Mizuki. It was good seeing you again, even if for just a short while," his kind eyes met her bright ones. "Give Komui-san my regards."

"Will do! See ya then, General, Kanda, Mari. Oh, and stay out of trouble, Kanda," she winked.

"Che," he scoffed.

She waved goodbye and left to report back to her superior.

* * *

"Komui-san, I found the General," Mizuki spoke into the phone.

"Ah, good work Mizuki," Komui answered.

"How are…things going at headquarters?" she asked hesitantly.

Komui sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Not so well. There were 148 deaths in all, six of which were exorcists."

Mizuki gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. There was a pause. She took a breath and continued.

"It's as you thought, Komui-san. The General has decided to continue to find new exorcists. Kanda and Mari are accompanying him as we speak."

"Good. Now, for your next mission, I'd like you to meet up with some of our own exorcists. Your tracking skills will prove helpful in their mission to find Cross."

* * *

It was raining heavily upon the town. No ships would be departing today. _Which is good for me, it'll make it a lot easier to track down those exorcists_, Mizuki thought, putting her hood up. _I might as well look for somewhere to say for the night_, she looked up towards the unrelenting sky.

"Argh!" Mizuki groaned. After being turned down by 4 places, it seemed as if no one would take her in. _Am I really going to have to sleep outside in this crappy weather?_

Then she noticed a group of four people huddled together.

"Hey!" she waved and ran over to them. They looked up, surprised. She took a step back and rubbed her chin. Then she began ticking everyone off on her fingers. "A pirate, a vampire, a bean sprout, and a Lenalee. Just like Komui-san said. Hi Lenalee!" She waved happily.

"Mizuki? What are you doing here?" Lenalee asked, confused.

"Your dear brother sent me here to help you out!" Mizuki said cheerfully in spite of the rain.

Just then, a cat came out of the alley next to the street they were standing on, the collar on its bell ringing. Lenalee walked up to it and tried to coax it towards her, but to no avail. The cat ran a bit farther down the street and looked back, meowing at them.

"It looks like it wants to lead us somewhere," Allen said.

"I'd settle for any lodging as long as it'll get us out of this rain. C'mon! Lead the way!" Lavi ran after the cat, and was followed by the rest.

The cat led them to an alley, which led out to another street. However, as soon as they stepped out on the street, the cat disappeared.

"Hey, look!" Lenalee pointed to an inn, which seemed to be the only thing open on that dark street.

The five walked in tentatively.

"This is a strange place to find an inn," Allen noted.

"My thoughts exactly, bean sprout. We definitely need to stay on our toes while we're here," Mizuki said thoughtfully.

"Bean sprout? My name is Allen," he said, slightly ticked off, but offered his hand anyway.

She took his hand and shook it. "Oh, you don't like being called bean sprout? But Kanda told me –"

"Kanda! I'll kill that guy!" Allen said menacingly, shaking his fist.

"Uhh…right. So…pirate dude and vampire-man, what are your names?" Mizuki asked, lifting up her hands and putting down her hood. She shook the rain out of her hair and looked up at the two.

Lavi's face tinted pink. _She's so pretty up close_,_ and totally my type!_ He cheered inwardly, taking in her warm eyes and soft hair.

"Huh? Are you all right?" she cocked her eyebrow.

_Oh shoot! Did I say that out loud?_ He covered his mouth quickly.

"I'm Arystar Krory," he shook her hand. "And this skirt-chaser is Lavi." Krory jerked his thumb over to the red-head.

"Shut up!" he retorted. He turned to Mizuki, composing himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm Lavi, future Bookman! Pleased to meet you, my beautiful lady." He grinned from ear to ear.

"You're funny. Future Bookman, huh? That's impressive." Mizuki chuckled and bowed, "I'm Mizuki. Komui-san sent me because I'm a tracker, of sorts. I just finished a mission with Kanda and Mari, and was able to find my master, General Tiedoll."

"My master's extremely elusive," sighed Allen.

"Don't worry Allen," Mizuki patted him on the back, "we'll find him together!"

"By the way, is that your anti-Akuma weapon?" Krory asked, pointing to the stick-like thing on her back, where a katana would normally be.

"Yep! It's called a bō. When I activate it, blades come out of the ends," she pointed.

"So how'd you become an exorcist?" Lavi asked.

"Erm…It's a bit of a long story…probably for another time," she smiled.

"How old are you?" Lavi questioned.

Mizuki laughed. "You're a curious one, aren't you? I'm eighteen," she said proudly.

"Hmm…when's your birthday then?" he pressed.

"December."

"Ha! That means I'm your elder. I'm eighteen too, but my birthday's in August."

"I don't think being older really qualifies you as being my elder. I don't think older means wiser, either, if that's what you were going for," Mizuki said with a grin.

"Hello?" Lenalee pressed the bell repeatedly.

A blond woman wearing dark sunglasses came up to the front desk. "Welcome."

"My goodness…" Allen said softly.

"No doubt about it…" Krory muttered.

"What?" Mizuki asked confused.

"S-STRIKE!" Lavi shouted, hearts in his eyes, and with a 'thumbs up' to boot. "She's totally my type!"

"We knew it" Krory and Allen sighed.

Mizuki sweatdropped. "Does he say this to every girl he sees?"

"Yeah, to every pretty girl he sees. Usually with a 'STRIKE!'. And most of the time, they're older," Allen answered rubbing his temples.

"Oh, well I suppose since he didn't say 'STRIKE' with me, that must mean I'm different," Mizuki said thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that because you're really –" Allen began, but was cut off by the woman.

"May I help you?"

"Um, excuse me, but do you have a room available for tonight?" Lenalee asked hopefully.

The woman set down two keys. "I can only provide you with sparse accommodations since my mother and father are away," she spoke softly.

"Yes!" Lavi cheered, arms in the air. "By the way, can I have your name?"

"My name? Lulubell."

He grasped her hands in his. "Thank you so much!"

"Wow, he's really forward, isn't he?" Mizuki noted.

* * *

"Blehh, this looks gross," Mizuki said with disgust, poking at her dish. "What is this? Milk?"

"Is that why you're kinda short? Because you don't drink milk?" Lavi asked innocently.

A roundhouse kick in the face later…

"Even for sparse conditions…this is disappointing," Allen sighed.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Mizuki said wisely.

"We practically forced her to take us in. Try not to whine about it." Lenalee said.

"That's right," Lavi said, still rubbing his cheek with one hand. "This nice warm milk will warm our soaked bodies," he took a sip and made a face. He spit it back out at Krory.

"It's cold milk," he said sadly.

"By the way, they say the Bosphorus Channel is where the Noah lived before the great flood," Lenalee pointed out.

Mizuki nearly gagged on her meager meal. "The Noah?" she choked out.

"Yeah. We've already encountered one. Rhode Kamelot," Allen grimaced.

Mizuki frowned and continued to poke at her milk sadly, which began to solidify slightly.

"Something wrong?" Lavi asked, concerned.

"No! Nothing!" she forced a smile. _I don't know if I'm ready to relive _that_ yet._ She got a sidelong glance from Lavi, showing that he didn't believe her in the slightest.

"When do you think the storm will be over?" Krory pondered.

"Yeah, it really sucks to be waiting here when we're so close to Asia and the Marshall's trail," Lavi added.

"Allen…are you all right?" Mizuki put a hand on his shoulder. He was almost doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"I'm so hungry…" he whined. "If the ship doesn't come tomorrow, I might collapse from hunger!"

Lenalee giggled.

"I'm serious! I'm not joking. I could seriously die of hunger!"

"What's with that sound?" Lenalee sat on her bed, holding her ears.

"Yeah, that's getting annoying," Mizuki tried pulling the covers over head to shut it out.

growl

"That's it! It's definitely coming from next door! I'm going over there to see what's up!" Mizuki yelled, throwing off her blankets. "I'll be back soon, Lenalee. Try and get some sleep."

Mizuki burst through the boys' door and shouted, pointing at them, "What's up with you guys? Lenalee and I are trying to sleep!"

"I know, so am I! And I can't take it anymore!" Lavi held his hands over his ears.

A crash burst through the wall next to Lavi, revealing an Akuma.

"Oh no! Lenalee!" Mizuki ran back to the girls' room quickly. "Lenalee! Akuma!"

Without a word, the two girls ran after the boys, whose fight had led them outside.

There were only two Akuma, and both level ones at that, so they were destroyed rather quickly.

"Aw, man. If I was going to lose sleep to a couple of Akuma, I'd want them to at least put up a fight," Mizuki whined.

Lavi's eyes widened as he looked back at the half-destroyed inn.

"Lulubell!"

Whoops.

* * *

Ok, so that's it for now. I'd still like to know what you guys think! Any comments are appreciated...a LOT! So please review or message me! If you guys have suggestions, I'm up for those too!


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own D.Gray-Man or its characters!

First things first: Thansk so much to SaiyukiSucker for reviewing! I honestly didn't think anyone would read...

'Kay, so this is chappie 2! The characters all just sort of taking a break and having a little bit of fun and Mizuki seems to be hiding something...Enjoy!

* * *

They all ran back into the inn, shouting for Lulubell, but it appeared to be completely empty. They decided to split up because Lulubell could be hiding anywhere in the town. Mizuki and Lenalee stayed at the inn, whilst the boys searched elsewhere.

"Something doesn't seem right here…," Mizuki mumbled, scratching her head, kicking over a broken chair.

"Look at these pictures," Lenalee took an old framed photo off the drawer and blew the dust off of it carefully. "Lulubell's not in any of these family pictures."

Mizuki tilted her head to the side. "Huh…I knew that woman was a little suspicious…I mean, she was wearing sunglasses on a rainy day, indoors!"

"But…if she were a demon, Allen would have been able to see it," Lenalee said softly, placing the photo back in its rightful place.

Mizuki rubbed her chin, deep in thought. "A Noah?" _Dammit. This complicates things._

Suddenly, a crash and an explosion could be heard across town. The two girls ran outside.

"Lenalee, did you hear that? It's probably Akuma!"

Lenalee nodded, and the two ran off towards the smoke.

Mizuki ran along the rooftops in hopes of finding the boys as Lenalee scoured the streets below.

"Hiban!"

A tower of flames shot up into the sky, lighting it up like a fireworks display. Mizuki quickened her pace, grabbing her weapon from her back. Activating her Innocence, she threw her bō like a lance, spearing an Akuma to Lavi's left. She leapt from the roof, and jumped onto the Akuma she'd stabbed. With a grunt, she yanked the weapon out of the Akuma, jumping off as it exploded, landing on the roof smoothly.

"Mizuki!"

She followed the red-head's gaze down to the alley below. Allen was trapped in a stranglehold by…Lulubell! The nails in her right hand had grown into claws, which were poised at Allen's neck. Her skin had turned grayish color and she had the tattoos on her forehead, marking her that of a Noah.

_I knew it!_ Mizuki thought.

Ahead, Krory was making his way towards his friends, destroying Akuma along the way.

"Allen!" From above, Lenalee sent a swift kick down towards Lulubell, who released Allen quickly in order to dodge.

"Lenalee!" he said with surprise, and turned towards her.

"Hey! We're here too" Mizuki jumped down from the roof to join their comrades.

"Now, let's finish this!" Lavi smirked, raising his hammer. He brought it down with force, crying, "Gouka kaijin. Hiban!" a dragon of flames swirled around him, engulfing every Akuma in its path.

Jumping down from the roof as well, Lavi joined the others. The five watched Lulubell cautiously, poised for attack. No emotion betrayed Lulubell's face. She simply stared at them, remote.

"So, are you a Noah?" Allen questioned, eyebrows knitting together. "Part of Rhode Kamelot's family?" _This could be a chance to find out more about them._ He quickly thought back to his confrontation with Road. _She was human…they all are…so why?_

Completely ignoring the young exorcist, she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

* * *

"Oh man, it's beautiful outside!" Mizuki's bright eyes took in the clear azure sky. She leaned back and inhaled deeply, the fresh scent of 'day after rain' still in the air. The young exorcists were at the docks, awaiting a ship to take them out. Mizuki sat, with her feet dangling inches above the water, admiring the scenery as the others recounted the events from last night.

Allen walked over to Mizuki and sat down next to her, leaning back on his arms, imitating her position.

"What's up Allen?" Mizuki asked, swinging her feet back and forth, the force of the wind creating slight ripples in the water.

He turned his head towards her and watched her happily gaze at the sky. He took a breath, "I'd like to know what your relationship is with the Noah," his voice was firm. _Your reaction last night did not go unnoticed. You know something about the Noah that you're not telling us._

Mizuki stiffened and her face darkened. Her legs came to an abrupt stop and she grasped the edge of the dock so tightly she was trembling. Without looking at him, she spoke, her voice unwavering. "I know nothing of the Noah." Her eyes remained fixated on the swirling ocean before her.

Allen sighed. Perhaps it was best not to press the matter at this time. _But I will find out what you're keeping from us, Mizuki_.

When she realized he wouldn't question her further, she turned her face upwards towards the sky once more, the smile gone.

"Our journey's likely to get a lot tougher, with a new Noah on our trail" Lavi moaned, his arms crossed over his chest. Mizuki shifted uncomfortably.

"We have to find Marshall Cross as soon as we can!" Krory said determinedly. They'd already been stalled for much too long. Every day wasted took them further and further from Cross.

"Onward to Asia!" Krory thrusted his open hand into the air.

Mizuki jumped up and high-fived him, energy renewed. "Oh yeah! We're totally going to OWN this mission! And Komui-san will be so surprised, he'll have to admit we are all amazing exorcists!" She grinned from ear to ear.

"But what if there are enemies stowed away on board?" Lavi joked. Krory's face lined with worry.

"Aw, come on, Lavi! If there are any, we'll kick their asses!" Mizuki grinned, elbowing Lavi playfully in the ribs.

Lenalee giggled, covering her mouth.

Off to the side, Allen's face was grim. _Lulubell…a new Noah…and Mizuki…what are you hiding? _His eyes narrowed towards the open sea.

* * *

Our heroes sat together at a seaside café, enjoying some leisure time in Asia.

Lenalee grabbed her cup of tea, inhaling the scent of the oriental herbs and sighed happily. Lavi's eyes were closed in relaxation, propping his head up with his hand. Krory's eyes sparkled with amazement as he sampled the strange, yet delicious foods. Mizuki was daydreaming blissfully while watching the people around them. Allen chomped away contentedly at his pastry.

He swallowed hard. "Timcanpy's detection function seems to indicate that Master is still further east."

"Further east? Like in India or China?" Lenalee asked.

"Ugh. Cross really likes to move around a lot, doesn't he?" Mizuki groaned, sinking into her chair.

An anger mark popped up on Lavi's forehead. He got up from his chair and leaned over the table, towards Allen, their noses nearly touching. "Exactly how far did he go, that General Cross?"

"The world is quite vast, isn't it?" Allen laughed nervously, backing up slightly, hands up in surrender.

Mizuki watched the two and laughed. "Oi, Lavi, I think you're giving Allen the wrong idea," Mizuki said suggestively with a wink.

"Eh?" Lavi turned towards her slowly. Comprehension dawned on his face and he backed up quickly from Allen. Mizuki snickered.

He narrowed his eyes, "Very funny…" he smirked and patted her on the head. "…Chibi-chan."

Mizuki swatted his hand away and grabbed the front of Lavi's shirt. "You wanna fight, ero-seinen (perverted young man)? Cuz I'll give you a fight! Maybe I'll take out your other eye!" she waved her fist in front of his face to emphasize her present hostility towards him.

Allen laughed nervously as he watched the two growling at each other. He raised his hands up to try and calm them down, "Hey guys…no fighting, ok?"

"Nngh!" Krory grunted as he attempted to pull a chewy dessert apart with his hands and teeth. "This is the first time I've eaten ice cream so stretchy!" he said through gritted teeth.

"At least Krory's having a good experience," Lavi blinked as Mizuki released him.

"Here, let me help!" Mizuki grabbed her spoon and tried to help Krory with his ice cream. "Man…this is…harder than it looks!" she yanked hard, which sent her flying backwards and Krory falling out of his chair.

"Are you guys okay?!" Allen looked over the table at the two.

Mizuki was shaking Krory by the shoulders, who appeared to be knocked out. "Krory! Krory! I'm sorry!" she apologized fervently.

"What did you expect from stretching it?" Lavi asked lazily.

* * *

"The order should have made reservation s for us at this hotel," Lenalee led the group into the grand golden hotel.

Mizuki stared in awe. "Wow! It's so big! It's amazing!" She admired the grand archways, the high ceiling, and the meticulousness that went into everything.

"You seem impressed by these things, Mizuki. Haven't you ever stayed at one of these since working for the Order?" Lavi asked, as they made their way across the foyer.

"Nah, not really. I usually camped out in forests and got food on my own," she said with mild indifference. "Remember when I speared that Akuma the other day? I've had lots of practice and I barely ever miss my targets. Yep, I've learned quite a few skills being out on my own."

"What! A beautiful girl like you out in the forest alone? With no one to protect you?" Lavi said with mock dramatization. He grabbed her sideways, pinning her arms. He lowered his head slightly and whispered huskily into her ear. "Don't worry, though. I'll protect you." His breath tickled her neck. She could almost feel his upturned lips on her ear.

"Very funny," she wriggled out of his grasp and turned around to face him, face slightly tinted pink. "I'm fully capable of protecting myself, thank you very much." She crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him.

Lavi chuckled and placed his hand on her head, ruffling her ebony hair. "I know, I know, I'm just joking,"

She pushed his hand away gently and straightened her hair out. "Yeah, yeah. Funny joke." She quickened her pace to catch up to the others and let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. She brought her hand up to her chest. _Why is my heart beating so fast?_

"Ah. You must be the representatives of the Black Order," the manager of the hotel greeted the heroes, eyeing the crests on their jackets. "Please leave your luggage here."

"It finally looks like we can relax a bit!" Lavi said happily, placing his hands behind his head and closing his eyes in contentment. _After the whole ordeal with the Noah and fighting all those Akuma,we deserve a little bit of rest_.

Allen turned around. Something's missing. "Huh? Where's Krory?"

"He was behind us a second ago…" Lavi's eyes scanned the lobby.

"Don't tell me….he's lost?!"

Kro-chan…where the hell'd you go?" Lavi groaned. The four exorcists were standing outside the hotel.

"Maybe we should split up," Allen suggested.

"Jeez. Kro-chan sure is a handful."

"What if he strangles himself with some other weird food?" Mizuki thought horrified. _Apparently this isn't the first time he's gotten lost…_she sweatdropped.

"All this, along with the Noah clan…we need to find him quickly," Allen mumbled.

"The Noah clan…I wonder where they'll strike next? I don't want to lose anymore friends." Lenalee frowned, her expression downcast. The Noah have already proven themselves extremely powerful thus far. With them controlling the Akuma, who knows what else they might be capable of?

_The Noah…_Mizuki thought. _Dammit! I thought I was done with the Noah. Well, I suppose it can't be helped. Is he involved with this? _She shook her head. _Why can't I just forget it?_She heaved a sigh and appeared very interested in a crack along the sidewalk.

The two boys threw a glance at each other, then at the two slightly depressed girls, unsure of how to react.

Lavi broke into a smile and looked up towards the sky. "It'll be all right. We won't let something like that happen." He threw a sidelong glance at the two.

Lenalee smiled. _Maybe he's right. We need to be strong_. "Thank you."

Mizuki looked at the red head curiously. _What's with this guy? He's so confident_. She grinned. "You're right. Let's go find Krory!"

* * *

Well, that's it! Hope you guys liked it...R&R pleaseeeeee!


	3. Chapter 3

ISCLAIMER: I don't own d.gray-man or its characters, unfortunately.

A/N: Please review guys! Even if you think it's crap! I want to know if I should continue this story or not TT

* * *

They walked along the outskirts of town, following the lead of a villager who said 'Lenalee' and Krory had gone off together. They spotted Krory holding off two rather large Akuma as 'Lenalee' stood motionless behind him. They broke into a run to save their comrade.

"Krory!"

They were able to throw off the attacking Akuma and stood by Krory. Lenalee stared at the imposter of herself and blinked. "Me?" she pointed to herself in confusion.

"Eh? Seriously?" Lavi said wide-eyed.

"There are TWO Lenalees!" Krory exclaimed, pointing at them.

"No, duh." Mizuki sweatdropped. "That one is a fake!" she used her weapon to point at the silent, expressionless one.

"So…is that one an Akuma made to look like Lenalee?" Lavi stuck his finger out towards the impostor.

Allen activated his left eye. "No…it isn't an Akuma…"

"Whaaaat? Then what could it be? A human?" Mizuki tried to get a better look.

Lavi closed his eyes and brought his hand to his chin, smiling. "Lenalee, don't tell me you have a twin…"

"Definitely not!" Lenalee stamped her foot.

"Do you ever stop thinking about girls?" Mizuki smacked her forehead in irritation.

Lavi laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Who are you? Impersonating me like that!" Lenalee said angrily. The other Lenalee looked up, and to everyone's surprise, grabbed real Lenalee's shoulders and thrust her against the dirt wall. They fought, rolling around. It was nearly impossible to tell who was who anymore.

"Lenalee and Lenalee are strangling each other!" Krory placed both hands on the side of his head in confusion.

Lavi looked down at Allen, "So which one's the real one?"

Allen's eyes shifted back and forth between the struggling Lenalees. _This is bad_. "My eye can't tell unless they're Akuma." Just then, out of nowhere, the two Akuma grabbed both Lenalees and proceeded to run off with them both.

Lavi took a few steps forward and hesitated, unsure of which to follow. One of them is the real Lenalee, but which one? "Damn it!"

Allen changed his anti-Akuma weapon into a cannon and began shooting the Akuma.

"Allen stop! You might hit the real Lenalee!" Mizuki gritted her teeth. "They've split up! I'm going after this one!" Without a backward glance, Mizuki ran after the one on the left.

"She's right. We'll have to go after both of them now." Allen ran towards the one on the right as Lavi trailed after Mizuki on the left, leaving Krory confused as to which he should follow.

"Kro-chan! Go with Allen!"

"Very well!"

"Extend!" Lavi's hammer extended and he rode it towards Mizuki. Lavi cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Hey! Mizuki!"

Before she could turn around, she was grabbed by the waist and hoisted up. She yelped and twisted her head to see her captor. "Lavi?!"

He helped her sit behind him and smiled back at her. "This is _much_ faster." She wobbled and nearly fell, but Lavi caught her arm. "Hold onto me." He brought her arm around his waist and continued towards the Akuma.

Mizuki blushed, but held on tightly, interlocking her fingers around his waist, and looked down. "T-This would be a lot more f-fun, i-if we weren't a b-bazillion feet in t-the air and if we w-weren't on a r-rescue m-mission," Mizuki stammered. She tightened her grip slightly, closing her eyes.

"Don't be silly" Lavi said, looking down at the top of her head behind him, which was half-buried in his jacket, "This is lots of fun!" Mizuki moaned into his back in response.

Lavi was right. They caught up to the Akuma rather quickly. "All right, this is where you get off. I'll attack from above, while you attack from behind him, all right?"

"The sooner I get off this thing, the better." They descended and Mizuki jumped down. She ran towards the Akuma and Lavi flew on ahead, catching up with it quickly.

"How far are you gonna go?" the Akuma looked up in surprise and was met with Lavi. As he brought down his hammer, the Akuma went under the sand. "It's like I'm fighting with a mole!" he gritted his teeth.

The Akuma popped up right behind Mizuki. She turned around and swung her bō at it, blades unsheathed, but it only jumped into the sand again. After several tries, it appeared this strategy wasn't working.

"Unh!" Mizuki was thrown back after an unsuccessful jab at the Akuma. Lavi jumped down next to her. "We don't have all day to fight this mole. I've got an idea."

Lavi raised his hammer. "Gouka Kaijin! Hiban!" the tower of flames engulfed the sand, heating it up and bringing the Akuma out. "Mizuki! Go!"

"Gotcha!" Mizuki ran towards the Akuma and used her weapon to pry open the cage Lenalee was trapped in. After grabbing Lenalee and jumping out of the way, Lavi jumped into the air, above the Akuma. "Jika hi! Hiban!" The Akuma incinerated on contact with the flames.

"Yes!" Mizuki pumped her fist in the air, while holding Lenalee around the waist with her other arm. They brought her to a patchy area of grass and laid her down under the shade of a tree.

Is it the fake one, or the real one? Lenalee stirred and opened her eyes slowly.

"Lenalee?" Mizuki asked tentatively, kneeling beside her.

Lenalee's eyes wandered over to Mizuki, then to Lavi. "Mizuki…Lavi…Where's Allen and Krory?"

"Yep, that's the real one!" Mizuki grinned down at her.

"For you to worry about Allen right away…you're definitely the real Lenalee." Lavi smiled.

"Real?" she looked confused for a moment. As everything came back to her, she struggled to get up. She ignored Mizuki's protests and tried to sit up. "We have to help –"

Lavi stopped Lenalee from moving further. "Did you get stung by the scorpion Akuma?" he asked, worried.

"No, it's not that. My body is…shivering. We have to stop them quick –" she coughed and doubled over in pain.

"It's impossible for you to fight in this condition!" Lavi said.

"He's right. You need rest. Lavi and I will take care of you, Lenalee. Trust us," Mizuki pleaded.

"Leave it to us."

"Thank you," Lenalee forced a smile. She grunted and closed her eyes in pain.

Mizuki unzipped her exorcist coat and placed it over Lenalee. "Lavi…if this is the real Lenalee, then the one with Allen and Krory is…"

Lavi continued to look at Lenalee, sweat running down his forehead. _Allen…_

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Krory and Allen followed the spider Akuma into the cave and began to fight. As Krory battled the Akuma, Allen rescued Lenalee from its grasp.

"If you were the real Lenalee, you would have slapped me for suggesting we abandon our friend and escape." Allen said triumphantly. His right arm was pointed towards the fake Lenalee, sitting several feet away.

"I apologize for not being so smart, but I wonder which one of us is in a trap?" Krory said as he struggled under the hand of the Akuma that was holding him down. "Do you know what I am?" Without waiting for an answer, Krory plunged his fangs into the Akuma, draining its blood and destroying it. "I will not forgive those who play with people's hearts," he walked over to Allen, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Who are you?" Allen insisted. The fake Lenalee smirked. Spikes came down from the ceiling of the cave and exploded, the smoke blinding Allen and Krory. As the smoke cleared, Allen's eyes widened. "It's gone!" They ran out to the entrance of the cave, looking left and right for the fake Lenalee.

"So, it managed to escape, eh?"

"What exactly was that, impersonating Lenalee?" Allen wondered. _That means Mizuki and Lavi have the real Lenalee._ They both appeared to be in some sort of forested area. They could see nothing but trees miles around. "Krory…I wonder…where are we?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Back at the hotel room…

"I'm sorry," Lenalee apologized weakly. Mizuki set down some soup and a pitcher of water. "Don't apologize for something you didn't do, silly." She glanced at Lavi, who was sitting at Lenalee's bedside. His forehead was lined with worry. She put a hand on Lavi's shoulder and squeezed. He looked up at her, and she smiled reassuringly. "I'm going to get some more wet towels. Be right back." She left and closed the door quietly behind her.

As soon as Mizuki left, Lenalee turned towards Lavi. "What about Allen and Krory?"

"They haven't come back yet."

"Go and find them, Lavi." She coughed.

"Your body has to heal first," he said firmly. "Let's go to Bookman. Then we can contact Allen and meet up."

She turned, facing away from him and pulled the covers up over her shoulder. "I guess…at this rate, I'll only slow you guys down."

"Don't worry about slowing us down."

Mizuki returned silently and placed the towels in a bowl, setting it down next to Lenalee's bed. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest, watching the two. The red-head continued, "Just like you, I worry about my friends. That's why I want to see Allen and Krory in good health." Lenalee shook silently, tears falling from her eyes, dampening her pillow. "Sleep, for a while."

Lavi got up quietly and beckoned Mizuki to follow him. Lavi closed the door behind him softly and they walked a little down the hallway. Lavi turned to Mizuki and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted. "I can't stand seeing her like this. Maybe I should go look for Allen and Krory."

Lavi closed his mouth and looked at her. "I understand how you feel, but we can't leave Lenalee. She needs us both right now. And besides, you don't know where they are. What if you got yourself lost too? Allen and Krory can look out for each other."

Mizuki sighed and closed her eyes. "I just…feel so useless right now, I hate it," she glanced back towards Lenalee's room. "She was one of my first friends at the Order. And now she's sick, but I can't do anything to help her. Sometimes I feel like all this is my fault." She slumped down against the wall and brought her knees up to her chest. She buried her face in her arms and groaned softly in frustration.

He knelt down in front of her and moved her arms away, grabbing her hands and forcing her to look up at him. Her chocolate eyes met his emerald one. "Hey…we'll get through this, no problem. I can't do this without you, you know. Once we get Lenalee to Bookman, everything will be fine. We'll meet up with Allen and Krory then." He tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"How do you do that?" she asked curiously.

"What?" Lavi was just as confused as she was.

"Make everything sound like it'll be ok?"

He laughed and scratched his head. "Uhh, I dunno. I guess it just turns out that way."

"Well, whatever it is, it works. Thank you," she leaned forward a little bit and brushed her lips against his cheek softly. He flushed, and blinked, surprised. "Umm…you can let go of my hands now, Lavi."

"Oh. Sorry." He let go and she stood up.

"I'm gonna go and check on Lenalee." She walked back towards Lenalee's door and disappeared from sight.

Lavi brought his hand up to his cheek and exhaled sharply. They were warm. "Wow," he breathed

* * *

Review/Msg me please! I'll send some Lavi love if you do )


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Don't own D.gray-man or its characters

* * *

"Sorry about this, but because of the winding canyon, we can't ride on Oudzuchi."

"It's all right. I can walk." Lenalee said softly. It was a struggle for her just to talk. She walked in between the two, as they held her arms, steadying her.

"Well, don't push yourself. If you need to rest, just say so." Mizuki said.

_It's still quite far to that old geezer, but safety is our top priority._ Lavi glanced quickly at Mizuki. _At least there are two of us__._

A cry sounded, not far from where they were. "Mizuki, stay with Lenalee!" Lavi said urgently. She nodded, and helped Lenalee sit down.

As Lavi rounded the corner, he spotted a young girl attempting to fight off an Akuma, unsuccessfully. She fell to the ground. "Oudzuchi Kodzuchi! Grow! Grow! Grow!" bringing his hammer down, he destroyed the Akuma quickly. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

The girl, dressed as a maid, got up and yelled, "Thank you so much for saving me!" She ran up to him, "How can I repay you?" she grabbed his hand and shook it up and down enthusiastically as Lavi sweatdropped."You saved my life, my nose, and my chest! I'm Mimi, by the way," she winked.

Lavi returned to Lenalee and Mizuki with the girl. "You!" Mizuki yelled, pointing a finger at Lavi. "I leave you alone for one second, and you go and pick up girls?! Especially when Lenalee is sick?! What's wrong with you?" she punched the top of his head.

"Ow! I wasn't picking up girls!" he said, rubbing his head. "She was being attacked by Akuma!"

"Um…would it be all right if I traveled with you?" she interrupted.

Mizuki stopped mid-punch as Lavi cringed, eyeing her fist. "Huh? Travel with us?"

"Yeah. We're traveling the canyon in the same direction. Until then, please let me accompany you."

"No. Go back."

Mizuki looked at Lavi in surprise. It wasn't like him to speak this way to a young girl, and a pretty one at that. _He's right, though. If she does come with us, then not only do we have to protect Lenalee, but this girl as well. Besides, if the Akuma are targeting us, we'd just be putting her in more danger._

"Do you want another experience like that again?" Lavi echoed Mizuki's thoughts, referring back to the girl's confrontation with the Akuma.

"I'm a maid. I would like to assist you at least until we get to the village. I beg of you Danna-san (master or husband)!" she pleaded.

Mizuki fell to the floor. "Danna-san…?" she said weakly. _They just met_. She sweatdropped.

_She's determined to follow us_, Lavi thought. _I guess there's no other choice_. "Fine. But only until we get out of the canyon," he said reluctantly.

"Thank you! As a maid, I'll put my whole heart, nose, and chest into serving you!" she said clapping her hands together. She ran up to Lavi and hugged him, nuzzling her face into his chest.

"Hey," Lavi protested.

An anger mark popped out of Mizuki's forehead. "Let's not get carried away now, all right?" Mizuki peeled the reluctant girl off of the boy and half-dragged her away.

The three exorcists walked forward as the maid trailed closely behind them. She quickened her pace to walk with them. "Let me help you with something."

"Your intentions are good enough…" Lavi said politely.

"Don't say that…how about this?" she whipped a huge fan out of nowhere and fanned Lavi.

"I'm fine. Do Lenalee."

"Okay!" she walked over to Lenalee and fanned her.

"Thank you."

Mimi inspected Lenalee closely. "You don't look very well at all," the young girl said. "Do you want to take a break?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine." Lenalee looked a little dazed and would have fallen forward if Lavi hadn't caught her.

"Maybe she's right. Let's take a break," Mizuki suggested.

Lenalee sat, leaning against a slope, panting heavily. Lavi went to the river and knelt, washing a cloth. The girl snuck up behind him and extended her arm out…

"Hey! What are you doing?" Mizuki snuck up from behind the girl, who jumped up in surprise.

Lavi reached back and grabbed the girl's hand. "Mimi, what _are_ you doing?"

"Uh…I thought you could use this too!" she pulled a washcloth from her pocket. "Sorry for doing something so reckless…"

"No, it was my fault," Lavi released her and Mimi walked back to Lenalee.

Mizuki knelt down next to Lavi. She looked back at the girl suspiciously. "Umm…what exactly was she trying to do?" _It looked like she was trying to grab his ass or something._

"I dunno, I guess she was trying to help." He shrugged.

"I'd keep my eyes peeled if I were you, Lavi."

"Food preparations are complete, Danna-sama!" she yelled. The two exorcists turned around and she held a plate of cooked fish with some sort of sauce in the shape of a heart around it.

"I didn't ask you to do that…" Lavi said slowly.

"This is my first time making a meal for a man," she winked. "Maybe this will lead us to being a couple, getting married, having five babies, and being a happy family!" she thought dreamily. "If that happens, what will I do?" she had pink hearts in her eyes.

"I don't think so…" Lavi responded, embarrassed. Not too far from where they were, Mizuki gagged rather loudly.

"Please eat this for the sake of our future together!" she persisted. She walked towards him, but tripped, the fish and the plate flying into the air. She made a leap as if to go grab Lavi's leg, but he used his hammer 'extend' to catch the food and she fell to the ground.

Later that night they all decided to make camp in a cool area within the canyon. Lenalee lay covered in blankets, her fever refusing to subside, and not showing any improvement whatsoever.

"I wonder if they're all right, Allen and Krory," she wondered, her voice weak. "If I hadn't been caught by that Akuma, we wouldn't have been separated from them. On top of that, I've caused you two so much trouble. I'm really sorry."

Lavi and Mizuki sat beside her, keeping her company.

"What did I tell you about apologizing for things that you didn't do, Lenalee?" Mizuki lectured. "None of this is your fault. And I'm sure Allen and Krory are fine."

Lavi nodded in agreement. "You should be worrying about yourself instead of others."

"Please," she put her hand on Lavi's and looked at her two friends. "If there ever comes a time where I'm slowing you down, leave me behind."

Mizuki balled her hands up into fists. "There is absolutely NO way we are leaving you behind. Ever."

Lavi put his hand on top of Lenalee's and gently squeezed. "I will get you to that old man," he said, resolute. "No matter what happens, I'll get you there!"

"She said to leave her behind," Mimi spoke from behind them. "So why don't you just leave her?"

"You know, it's rude to eavesdrop," Mizuki noted. "Besides, we'd never leave a comrade when she really needs us!"

"But, if she doesn't want you to, then you shouldn't pointlessly drag her along," she continued. "Feelings for your partner don't always have to bind you."

"Mimi…" said Lavi.

The girl covered her mouth quickly as if she'd accidentally let that slip. "Excuse me for saying something unnecessary," she apologized. She smiled, pointing her finger, "Perhaps I'm just tired. I'm going to wash my face!" she left the three in her wake.

Lavi got up and watched as the girl skipped away. _She's really confusing_.

Mizuki turned back to Lenalee and smiled, "Maybe you should sleep now, Lenalee. Just ignore her."

Lenalee nodded and closed her eyes, falling asleep quickly.

Mizuki got up and walked towards their campsite. "Hey, Lavi," Mizuki motioned him over.

"So…what do you think of Mimi?" she asked casually, not looking at him. She started fumbling with their sleeping bags. "She seems kinda shady to me. And I don't buy this whole 'damsel in distress' thing she keeps doing. I mean, how many times have you had to save her ass since she began traveling with us? Maybe she's using it as an excuse to get close." She seemed a bit disgruntled.

He shrugged. "It's probably just a crush, Mizuki." His grin grew even wider. "Don't tell me you're jealous!"

She flushed slightly and looked at him, indignant. "You wish! I'm just looking out for you, that's all!"

"Ahh, it's all right, Mizuki. It's not surprising. After all, not only am I charming, but I'm amazingly handsome as well," he closed his eyes and grasped his chin. A smug expression took over his face as he opened his eye. "Besides, there's no need to be jealous. She's not my type."

"Oh please, every girl is _your type._ And you'd better get that stupid smile off your face or I"ll rearrange it for you." She said with a glint in her eye. She threw his sleeping bag at his face.

"Hey!" he pulled the sleeping bag off. He frowned slightly. "That's not true!"

She ignored him and pulled her sleeping bag over next to Lenalee.

She lay down on her stomach, resting her head sideways on her arms. Lavi dragged his sleeping bag over to the girls and slept in the opposite direction, mirroring them. He imitated Mizuki's position, laying on his stomach so he could look at her.

"You're pretty violent for a girl, you know."

"Shut up. At least this way, people take me seriously," she mumbled, playing with a strand of her hair.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," she sighed. She turned over on her back put her arms behind her head. The stars looked like fireflies, sparkling in the moonlight. After a couple of seconds, Lavi's head blocked her view. He leaned over her, smiling, but she wasn't amused. "Excuse me, but I'm trying to enjoy the view."

"You mean you're not right now?" he joked. She glared at him and his smile slowly faded.

She sat up Indian-style, facing him. She rested her chin in one hand. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't really mean it. I know you're just teasing."

"No, it's not that." He paused to look at her wide eyes and her face, glowing in the moonlight. "Why don't you trust us, Mizuki?" he asked softly.

She looked away. "What do you mean? Of course I trust you guys."

"Not entirely. Sometimes you push us away when we try and get too close. Lenalee may not realize it, but both Allen and I know you're hiding something from us. Something that has to do with the Noah."

Mizuki's face darkened. _I can't tell them. Not yet, at least. I'm not ready_. She scowled, "I guess my response to that is…you guys just can't trust me."

"I won't accept that as an answer!" He raised his voice slightly, but tried not to yell because Lenalee was sleeping.

Mizuki sighed heavily and looked him in his brilliant green eye. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Not for a second."

"I'll only tell you this much: I once lost two friends to a Noah. So, I guess you can say with the Noah, I'm a bit uneasy. And I'd rather not relive it right this moment. I'm sorry." She lay on her side and pulled the covers up to her neck. "Good night, Lavi."

Lavi sat there for a few more moments, mulling over what she had just told him. After a while, he lay down quietly and fell asleep. Mizuki trembled quietly, silent tears falling freely from her face.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I don't own d.gray-man or its characters. Not yet at least….muahahahaha! jk, as if that'd ever happen. T T

A/N: I got reviews yay! Thanks and much love to KaraxLavi13 and MikuLuffsme for reviewing! You guys rock!!

* * *

Lavi carried Lenalee on his back as Mizuki and Mimi brought up the rear.

"I'm sorry," Lenalee apologized to Lavi again.

"Nah, it's all right. I'm always helping that old panda way more than this." (Doesn't this make you think of Lavi giving Bookman a piggy-back ride? Haha)

Mimi looked up towards the sky, "It looks like it's going to rain." Sure enough, droplets of rain began to fall quickly.

"Ouch!" A dirt rock fell and hit Mizuki on the head. She brushed some of the dirt out of her hair and looked up towards the canyon wall. More rocks trickled down as the rain softened the soil. "Lavi…"

He followed her gaze and his eyes widened. He shifted Lenalee slightly on his back. "Let's go." They quickened their pace to a slight jog.

"Lavi…I told you to leave me." Lenalee whispered.

"Lavi!" Ahead, water came rushing down the canyon, engulfing them all. As the water receded, Lenalee was leaning on a rock, panting heavily. Lavi crawled over to her.

"I'm okay," she said. Mizuki sputtered and coughed. Wiping her bangs from her eyes, she looked around. "Mimi? Are you all right too?" Mizuki turned around and saw Mizuki reaching for Lavi's hammer. "Lavi! Look out!"

He turned around quickly, "Mimi!"

She jumped out of his reach and waved his hammer around. "I've got your Innocence!" she waved it around tauntingly.

"I knew we couldn't trust you!" Mizuki shouted, running over to Lavi and Lenalee.

"You shouldn't let your guard down just because you're tired," she taunted. "Here!" she threw it to an Akuma just above them, which flew away with it. "Aw, it looks like your Innocence is going to be destroyed by Lulubell-sama" she stuck out her lower lip in a mock pout.

"Shit! Where did that come from?" Mizuki gritted her teeth, bringing out her weapon.

She brought out two huge iron fans from nowhere and smirked. "These fans make a very clean cut!"

"Lavi, we need to get Lenalee out of here and your Innocence back," Mizuki whispered to him. "Take Lenalee and run. I'll distract her." She took a step in front of the two protectively.

"I won't leave you here!" Lavi said angrily.

"Stop being stupid!"

"You're the one who's being stupid! You don't even know the extent of her power! What if the Noah is with her as well?"

_He has a point. I'd have to fight her, the Noah, and the Akuma_. "Ugh! Fine, I'll follow you two. Just take Lenalee and run. I've got your back."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer and picked up Lenalee, breaking into a run, with Mizuki following closely behind.

"You can't escape from these fans!" she sent an attack of two wind blades.

Lavi ran behind a rock, safely out of range (well, supposedly). Mizuki turned around quickly and spun her bō, sending them flying behind her. Mimi smirked and Mizuki turned around in surprise. The blades came back towards Lavi and Lenalee, who ducked, the blades slicing the rock cleanly in half. She went for another attack and sent four blades this time.

Mizuki jumped up, taking down three. She reached for the fourth, but it flew past her and embedded itself into Lavi's back. With a grunt, he fell forward, dropping Lenalee.

"No!" Mizuki shouted. She charged towards Mimi, who dodged quickly. She waved her fans, sending a couple at Mizuki, who evaded them. Mizuki gritted her teeth, glancing back at Lavi, who was slowly getting up. She ran towards him.

"I won't let you get away!" she combined her fans and threw them. They collided with the sides of the canyon, causing them to crumble, and cutting them off from escape and separating Lavi and Lenalee from Mizuki at the same time.

As Mizuki was dodging the falling rocks, Mimi attacked.

"Shit!" Mizuki yanked a blade from her shoulder. Thankfully, that one was shallow. She looked down to see one had embedded itself in her stomach as well. She clenched her teeth tightly shut and pulled it out slowly, blood pouring out of her wound. She grimaced at the warm metallic taste in her mouth. Coughing, she slowly got up and faced her opponent, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her sleeve. She leaned on her weapon, gripping it tightly. Her eyes wandered over to Mimi. She was standing on top of the wall, back turned. "Now's my chance!" 

Ignoring the pain, she ran and jumped onto the wall behind Mimi. Wielding her weapon like a katana, she was able to land an attack on the surprised girl. Mizuki jumped down ungracefully and fell to one knee, clutching her stomach.

Mimi screamed and fell, landing on her face. One of her own blades then pierced her in the shoulder, causing her to scream in pain again. Lavi and Lenalee landed next to Mizuki.

"How does it feel to be stabbed by your own weapon?" Lavi asked, his voice unkind.

"Lenalee!" Mizuki walked over and looked into Lenalee's weak face. _Dammit! She had to resort to using her Innocence because I wasn't strong enough!_ She winced as a new wave of pain shot through her body.

"Now it's the end!" Mimi summoned three large Akuma behind her.

Mizuki got into a defensive stance in front of Lavi and Lenalee. One hand held her weapon up towards the enemy and the other pressed against her wound to slow the bleeding.

"Mizuki…" Lavi said, surprised.

"I'm not going to let you guys die!" She ran towards the Akuma, but stopped in her tracks. Needles came raining down from the sky, piercing the Akuma, rendering them helpless. Everyone looked up. Bookman stood on a cliff, watching the scene from above.

"Bah! You picked a bad time to interfere!" Mimi said annoyed.

The old guy jumped down to Lavi. "So, you're still getting deceived by the enemy's appearance, huh?" He took a quick look at Lenalee. "This is bad! She needs treatment right away!" he turned back to Lavi. "And you! Be more careful!" he handed him back his Innocence. "You're lucky I happened to see an Akuma carrying it."

"Preach to me later, old man! Mizuki, let's go!" he activated his Innocence. They both charged as Mimi sent another blade attack. Mizuki sent the blades away with her own and jumped out of the way. "Lavi!"

"Hiban!" he shouted. The dragon flames shot down towards Mimi, but before they hit her, she jumped and flew out of sight into the sky.

"She got away…" Mizuki mumbled, falling to her knees, then falling to the ground, out cold.

"Gramps…help them," Lavi said weakly. He took one step towards Mizuki and stumbled, falling to the ground before passing out himself.

Bookman looked at the three unconscious exorcists. "Kids…" he said exasperatedly.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_He extended his arm out towards her. "Come with me," he said. She looked up at him. He stood, half in darkness, half in light, his arm an invitation. "Where?" she asked slowly. "With me, stupid. Does it matter where? Don't you care about me?"His voice was silk. "Of course I do…" As she lifted her hand towards his cautiously, his expression changed quickly. His eyes widened, a feral laugh threatening to leave his throat. She jerked her hand back. "No! I won't go with you!""But you want to. I can tell by your eyes. What do you think you can do? Save me?" he laughed wildly, covering his face with one hand, so only his cruel eyes were revealed. "Mizuki…" came a voice behind her. "Lenalee?" Lenalee was flanked by Allen and Krory. Spikes shot out from behind her, skewering her friends as they screamed. Their blood splattered all over her, tainting her clothes red. "No!" she turned around and fixed her tear-filled eyes on his. "You!" "It's your own fault, you know. You should have let me destroy you back then." He reached into his pocket and took out a small hammer._

Mizuki's eyes shot open. She was panting, her body covered in a thin layer of cold sweat. She tried to get up and winced slightly. _Oh yeah. I was attacked._ She gingerly poked at her stomach. "Ah!" Pain shot through her body. _Not a good idea_.

"I don't think you should do that."

She yelped and automatically reached for the weapon on her back, which wasn't there. "Where is it?" she asked, frantically scanning the room.

"Easy, easy…it's right there," Lavi pointed towards the table next to her bed. His arm was in a sling and his face was bandaged.

"How long was I out?" she said, glancing out the window. Mid-afternoon.

"About a week."

"A WEEK?!" she struggled to throw the blankets off, but ended up groaning and clutching her stomach instead because of the quick movement.

He laughed with tears in his eyes, pointing at her. After composing himself, he grinned. "Just kidding. It's only been about a day."

"I'll KILL you!" she grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"Aw, come on, it was funny! Besides, you shouldn't be moving around so much in your condition."

She huffed and let go of him. Her eyes softened when she eyed his bandaged wounds. "So how are you feeling?" her voice was still slightly irritated.

"I'm fine." He smiled and scratched the back of his neck with his good arm. "I was actually more worried about you."

"Me?" A faint blush found its way to her face.

"Yeah, you lost a lot of blood back there." He leaned forward, bringing his face closer to Mizuki's. She leaned back slightly.

He looked at her for a moment and his eyebrows knitted. "Hey, are you okay?" He brought his hand to her chin and inspected her closely. She could feel the heat rising in her face. "I-I'm fine!" she waved her hands around to convince him.

"Are you sure? Your face has a bit of color to it." He brought the back of his hand up to her forehead. "And you're a little warm. Do you want Bookman to have a look at you?"

"I said I'm fine!"

He gave her a skeptical look, but decided to let it go. "By the way, were you dreaming before?"

She gave him a confused look.

"You were mumbling a lot in your sleep."

She laughed nervously, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a stupid nightmare. How's Lenalee doing?" she said, changing the subject quickly.

"Bookman's treating her as we speak. She'll be fine in a couple of days."

She perked up at this and swung her feet off the bed, her face twisted in pain. "I'm going to go see her," she grunted.

Lavi got up as well, blocking her. "No. You need to rest right now."

"I don't see _you_ resting," she retorted. "Out of the way, eye patch." She pushed him aside and strode over to the door.

_There's really no arguing with this girl,_ he thought exasperatedly. Lavi sighed and followed her into Lenalee's room.

Mizuki walked in to see Lenalee lying in bed, her complexion much improved. "Lenalee! How are you feeling?" Mizuki asked worriedly.

"I'm fine now, thanks to Bookman." Mizuki followed her eyes over to the elderly man standing in the corner of the room. He was short, and had wispy hair that defied gravity and large black circles encompassing his eyes. She walked over to him quickly and bowed. "Thank you so much for helping us. I apologize for having caused you trouble."

"It's all right. Just be more careful. With the number of exorcists dwindling, we can't afford to lose any more." He closed his eyes. _If only the idiot would act like _this_ more often,_ he thought wistfully.

Lavi laughed. "You don't need to be like that for Panda, Chibi-chan."

She whirled around with an evil glint in her eye. "Want me to take out that other arm for you ero-seinen?"

"What? I think it's endearing." He shrugged, but backed away slowly anyway.

"Idiot," Bookman muttered under his breath. He left, closing the door behind him. Lavi and Mizuki drew up chairs by Lenalee's bed.

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Lenalee." Mizuki's smile faltered. She fixed her eyes on the bed. "I'm sorry. You guys got hurt because I wasn't strong enough." she balled her hands up into fists, digging her nails into her palms. Her voice shook with either anger or sadness, they couldn't tell. Maybe both. "I can't save anyone I care about…why?"

"Mizuki…" Lenalee put a gentle hand on her knee. "Don't apologize. You helped Lavi bring me all the way here. And when he lost his Innocence, you protected us both. If anything, I should be apologizing for causing you so much trouble."

"Lenalee's right. You're not weak," Lavi continued. "And I've got the bruises to prove it," he rubbed his head involuntarily. "Besides, you were the first one to be suspicious of Mimi. I was –"

"No. You guys don't understand. This is completely my fault. Next time, I won't let something like this happen. I'll get stronger," she said determinedly. _If I find out this has something to do with _him_, I'll kill him_.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

More A/N: So, you guys got a peek into Mizuki's inner turmoil! I think I have a real direction now…well I sort of had one, but it was tentative. Anyways, I'll update as soon as I can! I'll try to make the next one longer!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Don't own D.Gray-man or its characters...because if I did, Lavi would definitely get the same amount of shirtless time Allen and Kanda have...combined muahahahahaha!

A/N: By the way, thanks to Sashum-Mushroom for reviewing! It makes my day when people actually read this so hoorah! This chappie's a bit longer than the others and there's LAVI ACTION! enough said. read and enjoy.

* * *

"Where are they?" Mizuki bit her lip. _They were supposed to be here hours ago_.

Lavi shrugged. They were standing outside a village in Tibet, the meeting point for Allen and Krory. Lenalee stood staring towards the mountains as if they'd come out from behind them any second.

Just then, a gold ball with wings came whizzing towards them. It flew straight towards Lenalee, who caught it in her arms (like the snitch!).

"Timcanpy!" she said with surprise.

"Eh?" Mizuki walked over. "Timcanpy, where's Allen?"

He flew up and shot towards the mountains.

"Follow him!" Lavi yelled and they all broke off into a run.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Oi, bean sprout….BEAN SPROUT!"

"Whaaaaaaa!" Allen shot up in bed. "My name's Allen!"

Mizuki laughed aloud, and covered her mouth with her hand. "Sorry Allen," she apologized. She put a hand on her hip. "We were getting worried and you weren't waking up."

Lenalee bent down and hugged Allen around the shoulders, much to his surprise. "Allen!" she cried as tears fell from her eyes.

Mizuki watched the two and smirked. She nudged Lavi knowingly and winked while he chuckled in amusement. "Aw, you guys are sooooo cute!" she said loudly.

Allen and Lenalee looked at each other and blushed pink. They let each other go quickly.

"Where's Krory?" Allen asked once Lenalee released him.

"I'm right here."

She stepped aside so Allen could see Krory in a bed across from him.

"So glad you're awake."

"You should thank Krory for using the last of his strength to save you. Otherwise, you'd both have long since suffocated by now." Bookman stated.

Allen smiled, "Thank you, Krory."

Krory looked away, embarrassed. "We're family. I had no choice in the matter."

"Ah, don't be modest, Krory! You're the hero this time!" Mizuki grinned down at him. "We're finally together again, which means we can continue pursuing Cross!"

Allen groaned inwardly.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"What do you think of this, Allen?" Lenalee asked, pointing to a Chinese doll. She bent down to get a better look at it. It smiled brightly back at her.

Allen bent down to her level as well, their cheeks close to brushing against one another. He smiled, side-glancing. "It's very pretty."

"Nii-san bought one for me when I was younger, as a gift. When he'd go away, I'd always keep her beside me so I'd never be alone…" She laughed softly. "I'm sorry, it's stupid, isn't it?"

He turned to look at her. "Of course it's not," he said gently.

She turned to him with a questioning look.

They were so close. He could see every individual eyelash. "It's understandable that you don't want to be alone. It's not stupid at all," he assured her.

She leaned forward slightly, their noses almost touched. He blinked. "Allen…" she smiled and looked into the silver pools that were his eyes.

Someone coughed loudly. They broke each other's gaze quickly and looked up. "Are you going to buy that?" a smiling woman pointed to the doll.

Not too far away, "Whoaaaaaa look at that!" Mizuki ran over to a place selling beautiful teacups. "And that!" she ran over to look at some Chinese paintings. "So pretty!" Her eyes were bright with awe.

He tore his eyes away from Allen and Lenalee, eyebrows furrowed. "Don't wander too far Mizuki," Lavi called from several feet away. "We don't want another Krory incident," he muttered under his breath.

She turned around to answer him, but noticed something was missing. "Eh? Speaking of Krory, where is he? And where's Bookman?"

They found them sitting at a table sipping tea and chatting casually. Lavi ran over to them and skidded to a stop in front of their table. "What do you think you guys are doing? Marshall Cross is still –"

"Haste makes waste, as the saying goes," Bookman said wisely. "Our destination is a mere stone's throw away. Deciding on a plan of action is our priority."

Obviously, this answer wasn't enough for Lavi. He gripped his hair in frustration. "You're just being lazy," he accused.

"Nothing wrong with that," Allen added.

"Hmm, I dunno Allen. I've studied Cross's patterns and he appears to move around rather quickly. He might actually be further east by now," Mizuki mused.

He faltered slightly. "Um…well, there's really no hurry."

"Allen…you really don't want to find the Marshall, do you?" Lavi said bluntly.

He laughed nervously and looked off to the side.

"Well, we're here and all, so let's have a look around the city!" Lenalee said cheerfully.

"Wow! Look at everything!" Mizuki tried to take in everything. The sights, the smells, the sounds. "It's so busy here too!"

"Guangzhou's the center of trade for the whole province of Canton. It's near the ocean, so people and goods from around the world come into this city," Lavi showed off his amazing Bookman knowledge and memory.

"Very good, Mr. Bookman," Lenalee praised.

"Yeah, I'm impressed," Mizuki agreed.

"You must know a lot about China too, with it being your homeland," Allen said.

Lenalee walked over to one of the stands selling umbrellas and picked up a pink one. She smiled. "Not really. I don't remember much about my life before the Order. It might seem weird, but I don't really have a home besides the Order. My friends are my family. Being with you guys makes me happier than anything else." Tears began to slide down her face, but she didn't lose her smile.

"That's not strange at all!" Allen exclaimed.

"That's right," Lavi agreed. "You're just like us. Friends to the end."

Mizuki walked over to Lenalee and put an arm around her shoulders. "You got that right! Besides, that's why we're all here together looking for Cross."

"That's right. Despite my personal dislike for my master, he's vital to the Order."

"We can't afford to lose any fighter, no matter how much of an ass he is."

Lenalee nodded in agreement.

Lavi looked up towards the sky. "Well, it's about time to be getting back. Otherwise, that cantankerous old coot might make us out to be the lazy ones."

"Somehow I think he'll probably say you're the only lazy one," Mizuki thought aloud.

Lavi sent a glare her way, and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Allen.

"Let's go, guys."

Lenalee turned towards the woman vendor, "I'd like this, please."

Suddenly, a black cat jumped up and caught Timcanpy in its mouth and ran off.

"Crap! Without him, Cross's trail will disappear right when it's within our grasp!" Lavi shouted.

Lenalee dropped the umbrella with an apology and ran after the cat, followed by the other three Exorcists. They followed the cat to a bridge, where it jumped on a roof.

"There!" Lenalee pointed. She activated her Dark Boots and jumped off, chasing the cat.

Allen's eye activated immediately after Lenalee left. "Six demons…" he murmured. He activated his anti-akuma weapon and began to raise it towards Lavi. "Lavi, please duck."

"What?"

"He said 'duck', you idiot!" Mizuki yanked him downwards. He was unprepared and fell awkwardly, throwing his hands out to stop himself from crushing her beneath him. They both breathed heavily, looking at each other. "Umm…" Mizuki reddened in the face when she realized the position they were in. Her eyes widened when she saw an Akuma preparing to attack from above. "Watch out!" she pushed him off forcefully ("Oof!") and activated her weapon as well, slicing the demon cleanly in half.

"Three more!" Allen shot it. "Two! One!" he turned around as the last one shot up out of the water.

"Hiban!" the flames engulfed the last Akuma.

Mizuki wiped her forehead with the back of her sleeve. "That was a close one. Thank goodness they were all only level ones!"

Lavi let out a huge sigh. "I can't take it anymore!" he yelled. "You're a freak!"

"I don't think you're helping anyone in terms of self-esteem," Mizuki pointed out.

He ignored her and rounded on Allen. "You're even scarier than the demons!"

"Why's that, Lavi?" Allen asked, confused.

"You can't just come shooting in here, dammit! You don't give a crap if I get shot!" he threw his hands in the air.

"I didn't say that!"

Mizuki walked over and leaned an arm on Allen's shoulder. "Hey, give the kid a break! At least he warned us before the Akuma could ambush us," she frowned. "He _did_ tell you to duck…" Her frown turned into a look of surprise as she looked up.

The boys' eyes followed the direction of her gaze and they saw Lenalee falling from the sky. "Move!" she yelled and came down violently, knocking everyone off their feet.

"Talk about your crash landings," Mizuki coughed out.

"What are you guys doing down there?" Lenalee asked as a very shaken cat struggled to stay on her shoulder.

"Oh, there were some demons." Lavi answered.

"There were?"

"Yeah, but we're fine now. At any rate, you found the cat." Allen pointed to the shaking animal.

"Yeah" she said cheerfully, grabbing the cat. "And he hadn't even swallowed yet!" The cat spat out Timcanpy and ran off quickly.

"You get eaten too much, Timcanpy." He flew onto his perch that was Allen's head.

Bookman came out of nowhere and jumped on Lavi's head without hesitation. "Having a nice walk, are we?" he said sarcastically.

"Don't do that! You surprised me!" Lavi said in a strained voice.

"I'm surprised that there are demons here," Krory appeared at Lenalee's side.

"And they've been following us…" Lavi trailed off.

"Ah! Bookman-san! I just realized something." Mizuki looked at him. "So, do you think the Akuma were after Cross?"

He jumped off of Lavi's head and onto the side of the bridge. Lavi groaned and rubbed his head, eyeing his mentor warily.

"Possibly. We must make haste."

"I _told_ you this was no time for a tea party!" Lavi yelled waving his arms around.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Later that night….

The exorcists decided to split up in order to scour the city for Cross. Not only was it a large city, there were loads of people constantly walking around. Splitting up would allow them to cover more ground, thus increasing their chances of finding the General.

Mizuki came across a small tavern. _Hmm, this is definitely a place Cross would visit_. She sighed and walked into the tavern.

As she walked in she scanned the customers for the General. There weren't too many, maybe ten people at the most.

"Hey beautiful."

She felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was met with a burly, obviously intoxicated man seated at a table with two other men.

"Can I help you?" she asked, eyes narrowed.

"What's a pretty one like you doing all alone in a place like this?" he slurred.

"Actually I'm –"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him. She recoiled at the smell of his alcohol-laden breath. "Well, since you're alone…wanna play with us?" The men chuckled.

"Excuse me, _sir_, and I do hope you take that lightly, but if you don't want a broken face, I suggest you release me," she said with a dead calm voice.

They laughed boisterously at this. "Looks like the little kitty _does_ want to play!" one of the men taunted. He made a move towards the zipper of her coat.

She smirked at the guy who was holding her and grabbed his wrist tightly. Using his weight against him, she threw him across the room and over the bar, earning stares from the various customers including the bartender himself.

"Hey!" the two men got up and grabbed her arms. Recovering, the third guy jumped back over the bar (don't ask me how) and stumbled towards Mizuki while cracking his knuckles.

_Shit. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea_. Mizuki thought. _I didn't really want to make this a scene, but oh well._ She dug her heel into one of the men's foot, causing him to release her with a yelp. She took the opportunity to swing her freed arm the other way, punching the third guy in the face. He fell back and knocked into another table. She dropped to the floor and threw her leg out, sweeping the second guy's feet from under him.

She turned to face the first guy. He wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand and to her surprise, smiled. "Well, aren't you a little ball of fire? I like that in a woman. Listen, I'm the leader of this little gang here," he gestured towards his two fallen comrades. "How'd you like to be my girl?" He took a step towards her.

"I'd really rather not –"

The doors behind her flew open and someone came stomping towards her. Before she could even realize what was going on, she was forced to turn around. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and a hand gripped her chin, tilting it slightly upwards. Her eyes widened considerably when her lips were instantly met with someone else's. And for six long seconds, they stayed like that, Mizuki too bewildered to do anything. She was then released from his firm, but gentle kiss and she took a step back, still slightly stunned. _What the hell is going on?_ She got a good look at her savior. "You?!" she pointed, her jaw dropping to the floor.

"Hey! I thought you said you were alone! I wouldn't have gone after you if I'd known you were already taken!"

She whirled back around. "Taken?! I didn't say anything!" she said indignantly.

Lavi pushed her behind him and eyed the man angrily. "Did he hurt you?" he asked Mizuki softly, the humor gone from his voice.

"Not really, but –"

Lavi swung his fist at the man, who tried to sneak up n them, sending him into the far wall, where he slumped down unconscious. Mizuki left her mouth hanging open stupidly as she turned her head slowly to Lavi.

"Anyone else want to have a go?" he announced loudly, refusing to meet her gaze. Everyone just stared at him dumbstruck, including Mizuki. "No one? Good." With that, he stormed out of the tavern, dragging Mizuki by the arm.

She allowed him to drag her for a while, still taken aback by his actions. Once her blood pressure went back down to a normal level, she was able to regain her composure.

"Hold on a second!" she wrenched herself out of his grasp once they were outside. "What was that all about? Are you crazy? Did Lenalee give you a misdirected kick in the head recently?" she looked him in the eye.

"I was saving you!" Lavi replied angrily, waving his arms around. "He was about to do something inappropriate, I'm sure of it!"

She thought back to the kiss and flushed out of embarrassment and anger. "You didn't have to be so dramatic! It wasn't a life or death situation! Besides, I can take care of myself!"

"Well, it didn't look like it from where I was standing," he retorted. "If I hadn't followed you –"

"You followed me?" she said in disbelief. "What, you don't trust me?"

"Well, it's not like you totally trust me either!"

"Oh please. If it's about my past, I already told you all you needed to know."

"You barely told me anything!"

She grunted in frustration. "Urgh! Why do you need to know? And besides, you're one to talk. 'Friends to the end'? You should hear yourself talk sometimes. When you talk about stuff like that, it's like you don't even believe yourself. Why don't you explain _that_ to me." She crossed her arms over her chest.

He gritted his teeth and tore his eyes away from her.

"That's what I thought." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist. Without turning around, she said frostily, "Do you have something else to say?"

He stared at the back of her head for a while. "I'm sorry."

_Eh? Didn't expect that_. She turned around and faced him, a confused expression on her face. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist and he looked down towards the ground, rubbing his neck apologetically. "I'm sorry for trying to make you talk about your past when you weren't ready."

She smiled crookedly. "It's all right. I'm sorry for being a little enigmatic, I suppose. And thank you for saving me back there," she added.

He looked up and grinned from ear to ear, releasing her and scratching his head. "Well, what's a beautiful princess without her shining knight, right?"

She rolled her eyes, but blushed in spite of herself. "Yeah, about that…with your track record, I wouldn't go around kissing girls just to 'save them'" she quoted with her fingers.

"My track record?" he brought his finger to his lip, thinking.

"You know, when you go 'STRIIIIIIIIIIIKE!' (she gave a thumbs-up and had hearts in her eyes) to every girl you see? If you go around kissing all of them, you're bound to get in trouble sooner or later."

"I don't do that to _every_ girl I see. Just the beautiful ones," he said dreamily.

"I suppose that makes me a hideously disfigured hag-woman then. Thanks for cheering me up!" she patted his back in mock gratitude.

He shook his head furiously and waved his arms, "That's not what I said! You're not a hideously disfigured hag-woman!"

"Encouraging." He opened his mouth to clarify what he meant, but she interrupted him. "What was with you back there anyway? You were really serious."

His expression darkened slightly. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you?"

She put her hands up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Calm down. Someone's a little overprotective." She brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Like I said, I can take care of myself."

"Like _I_ said, I'll protect you."

"Please don't. You're just going to get yourself hurt," she absentmindedly rubbed her arm. She looked up, her eyes unreadable. "Anyways, we'd better get going. I hope Allen and the others have at least _some_ kind of lead. Cross is proving to be a hard man to catch."

Lavi nodded in agreement. _And you're proving to be a hard girl to figure out_.

* * *

More A/N: I'm excited to get to the Ark arc (haha!) because I've got a lot planned...but I don't want to rush it! Anyways, please review to let me know what you guys think!


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: Don't own D.Gray-Man or its characters. Otherwise, there'd be lots of shirtless Lavi scenes... :drools:

A/N: Thanks so much to lo0ozerz for reviewing!! You get Lavi-shaped cookies! Speaking of REVIEWS, I got plenty of alerts (much thanks to everyone!), which makes me happy, but I'd really like you guys to leave some comments please! Sorry for the slow update, I've been tutoring a bunch of kids and it's draining the life out of me. Anyways, sorry to bore you, on to the story! Mizuki displays some girl power! WHOOT!

* * *

"They say it's the best hotel in the city."

"I don't care how intimidating it is! We finally found him!" Mizuki said clapping her hands together with glee.

Everyone sighed with relief. The mission was finally over. They'd get Cross and somehow force him to accompany them back to headquarters.

Allen stood off to the side dejectedly. _Dammit, we found him!_

"Wait right there!" a husky voice said menacingly. Everyone turned around and was met with a bald and muscular…woman?! "We don't serve kids or first-timers!" she cracked her knuckles.

Mizuki lifted a finger nervously. "Err…we're not here for the brothel…"

Allen and Lavi cowered in fear. "H-he's huge!" Allen exclaimed.

"Hey, wait! He's got breasts!" Lavi noted. She slammed her fists together with force. "I'm s-sorry!" he apologized.

"R-r-run!"

She bent down and grabbed Allen and Lavi by the collar of their shirts.

"H-hey! Let them go!" Mizuki's hand twitched towards her weapon on her back. S_he's twice the size of me!_

"Please stop!" Lenalee pleaded.

The man-woman brought the boys closer to her and whispered to them, "Excuse my rudeness. I will take you to the master's room. Please, go around to the back entrance. We're supporters of the order."

They were led to what looked like a suite-style room with lavender walls and oriental style décor. A beautiful woman sat before them in traditional Chinese garb. "Welcome, honored exorcists," she warmly greeted them. "I am this inn's owner, Anita."

"She's gorgeous," Lenalee whispered, both hands on each side of her face. Everyone stared dumbstruck for a short while.

"…and here we go," Mizuki rolled her eyes.

Right on cue, "S-STRIKE!" huge pink hearts flew out of the red head's eyes.

"She's _Cross's_ mistress, you idiot!" Mizuki whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but Lord Cross is no longer here," her eyes traveled to the ground.

"I knew it!" Mizuki groaned smacking herself in the forehead. "That jerk probably knew we were coming and left!"

"He left on a ship…and that ship…was destroyed at sea eight days ago," her voice held a great sadness.

"Where was my master going?" Allen inquired. His brows knitted together. "It would take much more than that to kill my master."

Tears spilled over Anita's lower eyelids. "You really think so?" she asked hopefully.

Mizuki stepped forward. "Believe me, Anita-san. Marshall Cross is very adept at avoiding things when he wants to." _If he wasn't, we would've caught him by now_ she thought wistfully. _This means more work for us_.

Anita turned to Mahoja, the man-woman from earlier. "Mahoja, ready my ship for departure." She turned back to the exorcists. "I have always supported the Order from the shadows, as my mother did. If you wish to find Lord Cross, we will guide you to him. His destination was Edo, Japan."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

They waited outside in the dark for the crew to come and meet them.

A group of burly men came out of the darkness and walked towards the Exorcists. When the crew saw how young they were (excluding Bookman of course), they smirked. Allen walked up to the one who was perhaps the leader, flanked by Lavi and Krory. "Are you Mr. Jan?"

"And it would seem you're the exorcists." Jan crossed his arms and inspected the young man.

"Yes. I'm Allen Walker."

"I'm Lavi."

"Arystar Krory the Third."

"Don't forget me!" Mizuki leaned an arm on Allen's shoulder. She gave a cheesy grin. "I'm Mizuki! Lavi over there is a bit of a pirate too, isn't that interesting?" she jerked her thumb towards Lavi.

"What was that Chibi-chan?" Lavi put her in a headlock and dug his knuckles into her skull. "This'll teach you to mess with me!" he laughed evilly.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she yelled trying to pry his arm from her neck. "I'll kill you ero-seinen!"

"Not from that position you're not!"

"Hey guys, quit it," Krory put his hands up and took a hesitant step towards them. He lifted the two quite easily by the backs of their coats. They growled at each other and then looked away quickly, crossing their arms over their chests with a "hmph!". "There we go." Krory dropped them back on the ground gently. "You two should act more mature, especially in the presence of Anita-san's crew," he scolded.

"I'd like to thank you for helming Anita's ship," Allen said ignoring the three behind him.

"Thank me?" he scoffed. "I'm just following orders. There's no need to thank me."

"But the voyage may be dangerous!" Allen insisted. "I'm certain it was the work of a demon. We're sending you into treacherous seas."

"Well, Madame Anita is coming with us." Everyone raised their eyebrows at this. "She's a stubborn lady, you see. Once she decides on something, she follows through no matter what." Mr. Jan shrugged his shoulders. He closed his eyes and waved his hand, "Don't worry! We'll protect Madame Anita." He opened his eyes and smirked evilly at Allen. "You're a different story. Just make sure you don't get in our way."

"That's our line you obnoxious jerk!" Mizuki said angrily, she walked forward and would have beat the insufferable man to a pulp had Krory not grabbed the back of her coat. "Grr, leggo of me Krory! I'm gonna teach this idiot a lesson!"

"We're fully capable of defending ourselves," Allen said seriously. "And all of you, as well," he added.

"What?" Mr. Jan looked amused.

"We're exorcists. It is our duty to fight the demons," Allen explained. "If we failed to protect your lives, we would fail as God's servants as well."

He leered over Allen. "You're gonna protect us?" he grabbed Allen's arm and lifted it up. "What are you gonna do with these bean sprout arms of yours?"

"I _will_ protect you all!" Allen said forcefully.

"Can't trust that," he looked over to two of his men, who grabbed two crates and piled them on top of each other. Sitting down, he rested his elbow and flexed his fingers. "Let's see just how strong you are."

Behind Allen, Mizuki smirked evilly and cracked her knuckles. She moved forward, pushing Allen out of the way. He stumbled and after one look at her face sweatdropped.

"I'll take you on!" she clenched and unclenched her fists experimentally.

The men laughed raucously. Jan had tears in his eyes as he slammed his hand on the table in laughter. "Really, now? I don't think a cute little girl like you should involve herself in a man's game."

Her expression darkened.

"Hey…Mizuki…" Lavi reached a timid hand out towards her shoulder.

She cracked her neck loudly and Lavi quickly withdrew his hand. "Did you say 'little'?" Mizuki asked calmly. Too calmly.

"You heard me," the captain said smugly.

Allen, Lavi, and Krory cowered together waiting for the explosion.

An angry vein pulsed visibly on Mizuki's temple as she raised her fist. "I'll show you who's little!" She stomped over and sat down, throwing her arm on the table.

"I accept your challenge!"

"Don't underestimate me because you think I'm a 'cute little girl'. Oh and by the way, when I win, I want you to apologize to Allen for saying he has bean sprout arms. I didn't take his place because I didn't think he'd win. I just want to wipe that smug smile off your face personally."

He growled and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly, but she didn't falter.

"Err…what'll happen if she loses?" Lavi wondered.

"Maybe we'll get thrown in the brig as soon as we board," Krory thought miserably.

"Or whipped into submission." They thought of different scenarios that might be a consequence of Mizuki losing and dropped their heads in depression.

"Have a little more faith in me guys," Mizuki didn't take her eyes off her opponent. "I won't lose this one."

"Three…two…one…go!"

The smile quickly ran away from the captain's face when he realized this wasn't going to be an easy win. Mizuki gritted her teeth in determination. Of course, she's not the strongest girl in the world. But what they didn't know was that she couldn't have mastered a weapon like the bō without _some_ rigorous upper-body training.

"Get 'er, Captain! Kick 'er girly ass!"

"Keep it up, Mizuki!" Lavi shouted.

"I don't want to be whipped to the bone!"

"Dammit, little girl!" he put forth a burst of strength and was able to force her back a little.

She smirked in response and with a yell, slammed his fist into the crate, cracking it (the crate, that is).

The crew was silenced with looks of shock plastered on their faces. Allen, Krory, and Lavi displayed a similar expression.

"You did it!" Lavi pumped his fist in the air happily.

"You did it! You won!" Krory put his hands on her shoulders.

_This just makes her even scarier_, Allen sweatdropped.

"Thanks guys," Mizuki got up and wiped her hands on her pants. "Wow captain, you got really sweaty there. Anyways, I won. So apologize to Allen, please."

"Sorry," he grunted and bowed slightly. "Dammit! O-one more time! I can't lose to a girl!"

"I'll take her on instead." Mahoja stepped forward in all her manly glory with her hands on her hips. Anita, Bookman, and Lenalee stood behind her.

"Miss Mahoja?" said Allen with surprise.

"I will be accompanying you on your voyage. I'd like to see if you're capable of protecting her."

Mizuki laughed. "Well, I'll have to turn that one down. I was sure I could beat the captain. I'm not quite so sure if I can beat you. Why don't you take on Allen instead? He was originally supposed to be the captain's opponent anyway," she pushed the young boy forward despite his protests.

"Very well then." She agreed.

Lavi put a hand up next to his mouth and leaned towards Mizuki. "Hey, Mizuki. So does that mean you're as afraid of Mahoja as we are?"

"Don't be stupid." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't have anything to prove to Mahoja. The captain was the one who pissed me off." She sweatdropped. _Actually, she does scare me a little_.

Allen sat down, looking even meeker than usual against Mahoja. He gulped and wrapped his fingers around her massive hand.

"Three…two…one…go!"

Allen was putting up a good fight, but his left eye activated suddenly, breaking his concentration. Mahoja slammed his hand down, winning the match. Allen quickly got up and turned around, activating his left arm. "Watch out!"

"There you are!" a frog Akuma came charging towards them. Lenalee quickly grabbed Anita and activated her dark boots, jumping out of the way.

"Get it!" Mizuki activated her bō as the Akuma began hopping away. It lifted its hand and several other Akuma came out of the water.

"Stay back everyone. I won't let them lay a finger on you." Allen proclaimed.

The frog Akuma laughed sinisterly. "I'll kill every last one of you!"

Mizuki scoffed. "Psh yeah, right. Bring it wart-face!"

"Send the exorcists to the bottom of the ocean!" the Akuma commanded.

Despite odds against them, the battle did not last very long. They were all level ones, excluding the frog demon. With Bookman, Lenalee, Mizuki, Allen, Krory, and Lavi, they annihilated the Akuma soon enough.

Allen charged brandishing his left arm. The frog dodged quickly and tried to hop away. With a cry, Allen raised his arm and severed the Akuma's head.

"So much for sending us to the bottom of the ocean." She shrugged and returned her weapon to its rightful place on her back.

"Wow…so that's what exorcists do," one guy from the crew said.

"Allen…you protected us like you said. Thank you," Jan said gratefully.

Mizuki walked over to Lavi and Krory. "Yeah…sure…ignore us," she mumbled and rolled her eyes.

"Looks like we'll have a safe voyage with you aboard."

"Now, let's shake hands like good boys," Mizuki said.

Captain Jan extended a hand with a smile of gratitude. "Thank you," Allen grasped his hand firmly and shook it.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Hurry! Hurry! Get going!"

"What am I, a dog?" Mizuki's clenched her teeth and shifted her crate as she made her way to the cargo hold. She looked around. "And why the hell am I the only girl here doing physical labor?"

"Hmm, you mean why isn't Lenalee helping? It's probably because she's wearing a dress, like _normal_ girls," joked Lavi.

She stopped in her tracks and stretched her head around the side of the crate to look him in the eye. "I really wouldn't suggest starting a fight with me right now. I have a big, wooden crate in my hands," she narrowed her eyes at him. "And what do you mean by _normal_? I'm just not a big fan of dresses. Or pink." She shuddered involuntarily.

Lavi closed his eyes, an amused smile stretched across his face. "Well normally, girls aren't violent and headstrong like you are. Lenalee's more gentle and calm. In other words, she's considerably more lady-like." He opened his eyes and screwed up his face, deep in thought. "Though it would be nice to see you in a dress…" he trailed off. He lost himself in his blissful imagination.

Everyone sweatdropped. "I'm not sure if I should be angry or disturbed." Mizuki resisted the urge to kick him hard in the shin.

Lavi, still lost in fantasy world, walked straight into Krory, and both fell on top of each other ungracefully.

"What do you think you boys are doing? Get up, you slackers!" Mahoja yelled.

"That's what you get for visualizing unnecessary things," Mizuki said in between fits of laughter.

"Eh? You guys okay?" Allen nudged Lavi with his foot. Lavi got off Krory quickly and sat, leaning back on one hand. He rubbed his nose, "Jeez, Kuro-chan, you're like a brick wall!"

Mizuki set her crate down gently and offered Krory a hand, helping him up, still laughing. Allen did the same for Lavi. "Anyways, I don't mind not being girly," she wiped the tears of laugher from her eyes. "I'm perfectly fine with who I am, aren't you?" she didn't wait for an answer, but picked up Krory's box and placed it on top of hers. She inhaled deeply, bent down, and picked up both crates. She proceeded to walk into the cargo area, ignoring the gaping mouths behind her.

"They're treating us like slaves!" Lavi collapsed against the side of the superstructure and panted heavily.

Allen walked over and bent down, leaning his hands on his thighs, winded. Krory fingered the neck of his collar uncomfortably. Mizuki leaned on the side of the boat. "At least that means we're ready to take off soon," she said in between gasps of breath.

"Good work, all," Lenalee walked up to Allen and smiled.

He turned to her, surprised. "Oh! Lenalee."

"Hmm?" she took a look at his arm, which was twitching involuntarily. "Let me see your arm for a minute, Allen." She grabbed it quickly and pulled up his sleeve. His arm appeared to be deteriorating or peeling off.

"Hey, your arm's flaking!" Lavi said.

"When did this happen?" Mizuki examined his arm.

He pulled back quickly and rubbed the back of his head, throwing out his good arm. "It's nothing, really! It doesn't hurt or anything. We've been fighting so many Akuma lately, I guess it's just tired."

"I've never heard of a weapon getting tired," Lavi said incredulously.

"Well, maybe because it's a parasitic type?" Allen offered.

"Quit making excuses, Allen, this could be serious!" Mizuki reprimanded.

"That eye of yours does force you to fight twice as hard as any of us," Bookman noted.

"I've been thinking…" Lenalee said softly. Her face was lined with worry. "Your arm's awfully fragile, isn't it, Allen?" She looked down and started trembling, tears forcing their way out of her eyes.

"Hey!" Mizuki reached out towards Lenalee, but Lavi and Krory held her shoulders back.

Allen smiled down at Lenalee. "Lenalee?"

"Allen made her cry!" Lavi announced.

"He did," Bookman said.

"Yes, it's his fault," Krory echoed.

"I-I didn't!" Allen stammered.

"You guys are kind of evil," Mizuki looked up skeptically at her comrades.

Lenalee continued to look pensive, gripping Allen's arm tightly, afraid to let go.

"Cast off!" came Mahoja's voice came from the wheel.

"Looks like it's time."


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: d.gray-man and its characters are not mine! But mizuki is...muahahahaha!

Thanks Celedeen Takarona and Sashum-Mushroom for reviewing! Mmmm LAVI cookies!

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Allen sat in the crow's nest overlooking the sea. Timcanpy circled his head excitedly; not exactly how Allen was feeling at the moment. _I didn't want to go there if I could help it. Stupid master. I'll never forgive him if he's dead_, Allen thought bitterly, eyes narrowed at the coming horizon. Their destination would finally, _finally_ lead them to Cross. But why was he even there? A mission? If he's still taking orders from the Order, then why hasn't he shown up? _No, he's definitely alive. He _is_ my master, after all._

"Oi, Moyashi!" Mizuki called from below, shaking him from his thoughts. She waved. "How's the view from up there?" she shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand.

"It's Allen!" he called back, an angry vein pulsing near his temple.

She laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Anyways, just be careful. I don't know if I'd be able to come rescue you if you get in any trouble."

"I'll be all right," he grunted in response and folded his arms across his chest. She winked, giving him a thumbs-up and he cracked a smile.

Lavi snuck up behind her and clapped her hard on the back, causing her to jump a mile in the air with a squeak. "Watcha doin?"

"Reveling in the fact that I'm safely down here…and making fun of Allen in my spare time," She glanced once more at Allen, who appeared relatively unhappy about the fact that they were on their way to meet his master.

He rubbed his chin and looked up, thinking back. "Oh, yeah, you're not that fond of heights, are you?" He recalled the time he took her on Oodzuchi Kodzuchi when Lenalee was kidnapped.

"No, I love looking down from several hundred feet in the air at my imminent death," she said sarcastically. She walked over to the side of the ship and looked at her reflection in the water. She sighed heavily and leaned over the side, resting her chin in her arms. She stared hard at her own face and pouted. _One step closer to Cross means one step closer to 'him'._ A memory flitted quickly through her mind.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

FLASHBACK

He stood over her severely damaged body. She was sprawled on her back, her hair disheveled and matted to her head. She coughed and blood spurted out of her mouth, trickling down her chin. She gripped her weapon tightly and tried to lift her arm. A searing pain shot its way up her limb. _Shit. It's broken._ She exhaled sharply and looked up at him, her eyes harsh. He touched a cut on his cheek gingerly and winced. After a little thought, he looked down at her and shrugged.

He sat down Indian-style next to her and rested his chin in his hand casually, contradicting the physical state he was in. He _had_ to be pretty banged up. "You did this to yourself, you know."

"You killed him!" she shouted at him, anger radiating from her face.

He smirked. "Quite easily too."

She made a motion to get up, leaning on her good arm, but he shoved her back down callously. He loomed over her, both his hands traveling down her shoulders to pin her arms to the ground. She gasped in pain as he put pressure on her broken arm. She tried to blink away the stars that tugged at her consciousness.

"I kind of like you in this position," he smiled cruelly. He lowered his head towards her, trapping her eyes in his gaze. "You're so…_vulnerable_." He let the last word drip off his tongue.

"Get off me, bastard." She spat in his face and struggled feebly against his iron grip. Undaunted, he remained immobile. Instead, he chuckled at her malicious action. He shook his hair out of his face. "That's what I always liked about you, Rai-hime. No matter what situation you're in, you always find a way to fight back."

"Shut up!" she breathed heavily. "You used me. I don't give a shit what you think." All the while, the wheels in her head were turning, weighing every option available to her.

He clicked his tongue at the back of his teeth. "It doesn't change the fact that _you_ were the one who betrayed _them_, now is it?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

_No. It doesn't._

Lavi suddenly appeared beside her and looked down into the water as well. He gave her a cheesy smile, which faded when didn't return it. His expression changed to concern, and his eyes searched for hers in the water. The instant their eyes met, Mizuki immediately looked away, face tinted pink. _Why is it that sometimes when I look at him I want to smack him and other times…I don't? It must be because of that stupid kiss. It's got me all…thinking weird._ She snuck a quick sideways glance at him. _Did he really have to be that dramatic? Or was it something else? And why does he always think he has to protect me? Do I really seem that pathetic?_ She groaned inwardly. An awkward silence fell between them for a while as she tried to avoid his confused stare and organize her thoughts. She tried to put her bangs behind her ear, but the sea breeze kept blowing them out of place. Finally she gave up, and her gaze rose to the horizon as Lavi's continued to watch her reflection in the water.

_She asked me if I was fine with who I was…I don't know. Am I? _he thought. He shook his head, trying to clear it. _Why are you so concerned? She's my friend, right? They all are._ _Ah, _another voice in the back of his head argued, _but aren't you the future successor of Bookman? Your sole purpose is to record history without interfering._ He exhaled noisily. _But what does that mean? It means that I can't have a relationship with these people_ _and also be the successor to Bookman._ Finally, she heaved a sigh and looked at him, mistaking his inner squabble for something else. "All right, I'll bite. What's up? Having some trouble finding the stunning and flawless Anita-san?" she asked, completely misinterpreting his pensive look.

He closed his eyes and wagged his finger in front of her face, grinning. "My lovely lady, you are too quick to judge. I am simply here to accompany a fine maiden on this seaside voyage."

"Sorry, but as you can see, Lenalee's not here either. Why don't you check below deck? You might find them both there," she scratched her nose.

His face blanched at her mistake. "Uh…" _I wasn't really looking for _them_…_

Krory walked over. "What are you two kids doing over here?"

"Who're you calling a kid?" Mizuki said crossly. "Anyways, I was here _first_," she threw a hostile glare at Lavi, to whom she also stuck out her tongue and pulled down her eyelid.

"Well I was here second!" He stuck his tongue out as well and pulled down both his eyelids.

Krory rolled his eyes as the two made faces at each other.

Then he suddenly turned to Lavi with a serious look. "Lavi, Mahoja is asking for you. You should go immediately. She doesn't look too happy."

"Ehh?" with a fearful look, Lavi quickly left to go find Mahoja.

Mizuki sighed with relief. "Thanks, Krory. I owe you one." She returned to her previous position, looking out towards the sea. However, instead of leaving, Krory joined her.

"Something wrong, Krory?" she raised her eyebrows. "Mahoja's not really looking for Lavi, is she?" Mizuki snickered and scratched her head. "I never took you for a prankster. Though I'm not sure he'll be happy when he finds out you tricked him."

"He's just worried."

She stopped laughing and blinked. "Eh? What are you talking about?"

"That's probably why he seems like he's overprotective. He just wants to make sure you're okay."

"Huh? Well, I'm fine…"

He gave her a knowing look.

She internally shook an angry fist. _Grr stupid Lavi telling everyone! I should have known! Note to self: give ero-seinen a good kick in the head._ "Aw, you know what I mean, Krory! I don't need to be babied. This is something I need to and _can _deal with alone." Repeating this line was getting tiring.

"We're friends, right?" Krory asked suddenly.

She tilted her head, taken off guard. "Yeah…" she said slowly, slightly suspicious.

"Well, saying things like 'I'm going to do this on my own' is like saying we're not. Friends are _supposed_ to help each other. We _want_ to help you."

Mizuki didn't seem moved. "You don't understand, Krory."_ You're talking about a decision between our friendship and your lives. When it comes down to it, your lives are a risk I can't afford to take. If that means losing our friendship, then that's just going to have to be the price I pay to keep you guys alive._

Krory didn't answer for a while, so she took this as a signal to the end of their conversation. Finally, he took a breath, "There's also something else going on with you two kids, isn't there?"

_Something else?_ She sighed and looked up at the sky. "Well, I'm pretty sure the satisfying feeling we get when we annoy the guts out of each other is kind of mutual, if that's what you mean. And quit calling me a kid!"

"Though that may be true, it's not exactly…what I was asking about…" he trailed off. His eyes seemed to be glazed over.

Mizuki stretched her neck around to look Krory in the face. She waved her hand in front of him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Hey…Krory…Krory…" she poked him in the shoulder gently.

Lavi returned suddenly, fuming. He stomped over to the two. "Kuro-chan! Mahoja wasn't looking for me you idiot! I made a fool of myself in front of the entire crew, begging for her not to flog me and…eh? Mizuki, what's wrong with Kuro-chan?" he asked, taking notice of the unresponsive vampire.

"Err…I'm not entirely sure…" said Mizuki, uncertain of what to do.

"What's going on guys?" Lenalee and Bookman came over, drawn by the commotion.

"Krory's in some sort of catatonic state…" Mizuki rubbed her chin and looked up at the tall vampire.

"E-Eliade…" he mumbled softly.

"Aw man, was Kuro-chan thinking about love again?" Lavi smacked himself in the forehead

_Love?_ Mizuki threw a furtive glance at Lavi and felt the color rise in her face. _He was thinking about love?! Note to self: also kick the vampire in the head._

"Akuma!" Allen shouted from above.

"What? Where?" Krory looked left and right, ready to pounce, frightening Mizuki enough that she lost her balance and fell backwards. Luckily enough, a certain pirate was there to catch her from behind.

"You all right?" he looked down at her with that bright emerald eye. Her pulse rate might have gone up a couple hundred beats per minute. _Jeez! Right after Krory was thinking…grr why is _he_ always the one saving me?_

She laughed nervously, "Umm…yeah, thanks," she squeaked, visibly embarrassed.

Lavi helped her up and shouted to Allen, "What's up, Allen?"

Allen held a look of deep concentration as he stared off in the distance. _Why are there so many?_ "Hey everyone!" he called down. "There're demons on the horizon!"

Everyone's head jerked up, trying to find the enemy, which was still a bit of a ways off. Then, a black mass of demons came, heading towards the ship.

"Prepare for battle!" came shouts from the crew. Mahoja shouted orders as the crew got on their feet and ran about the ship, obeying them.

Krory was shaking noticeably. _Is he sick?_ Mizuki put a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Hey Krory, are you all right?"

"My teeth ache," he moaned. His pained frown turned into a menacing smile as his white strand of hair flew back and his pupils dilated.

"Innocence, activate!" the exorcists shouted in unison. They didn't need to look twice to see that the odds weren't in their favor. There must have been thousands of Akuma headed towards them.

"Get ready guys…" Mizuki placed her bō in an offensive position. As the Akuma got closer and closer, she tensed. With a yell, she ran forward, brandishing her weapon, ready to attack the closest one. She slowed down to a stop when she realized they were going _past_ the ship. "Eh?" she said stupidly.

"What is this?" Allen asked, wide-eyed.

"Where are they headed?" Bookman wondered aloud.

Allen gritted his teeth and powered up his weapon. "Wherever it is, we can't let them get there!" He shot several times at the oncoming demons. Two Akuma stopped in their tracks to take note of their attacker.

"As I thought. They're exorcists!"

"I knew I recognized those black coats!"

"Whoops! Watch out!"

Allen attacked while they were talking. Soon enough, more Akuma began to notice them. "There are exorcists here! Oh wow, there're a bunch of humans too!"

"Dinner time!" one yelled as they flew towards Anita and her crew.

Anita (along with the crew) activated the safety barriers normally used by Finders.

"Do you think something like this will stop us level two?" an Akuma growled.

"I've got you now!" an Akuma was able to sneak behind the barrier, but Mahoja jumped and side-kicked it away. "You won't lay a finger on my mistress!"

Lenalee and Krory leapt over to Anita and the others to cover them while Allen, Lavi, Bookman, and Mizuki fought off the bulk of the demons from the front of the ship.

"Gah!" Mizuki yanked her weapon out of a demon. "What the hell is it with all these Akuma?"

More came down, just noticing the exorcists, the battle attracting them.

"I could flail about with my eyes closed and hit something," Lavi joked.

"Yes. I will eat my fill tonight," Krory said gleefully, sharp teeth bared.

Allen was having difficulty with one particular Akuma, which kept dodging his attacks. He fought high above everyone else, on the mast. "Come on, exorcist! Quit trying to hit me and hit me!" it taunted.

"Gouka kaijin, Hiban!"

"That's helpful," Mizuki said, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the brightness of the fire. "You must've taken out at least twenty there!" An Akuma snuck up behind her, chuckling. Without sparing it a glance, she stabbed backwards into its abdomen, unperturbed. _Stupid Akuma. You don't make noise if you're trying to sneak up on someone,_ she thought as she pulled her weapon out. She looked at the crew and saw that barriers were being used around the Akuma to hold them in place. She smirked, "That's also helpful."

She ran over to a dragonfly-shaped Akuma and sliced it cleanly in half. "Thanks Anita-san!" she gave a quick salute.

"Allen!" Lenalee shouted from the other side of the ship. Mizuki looked up and saw Allen struggling to dodge the same Akuma as it swooped down like an owl attacking its prey.

Allen paused to rub his eye and was too slow to react to the Akuma.

"Moyashi! Allen! Open your eyes! This is no time to get sleepy!" Mizuki cried.

With a cry, Allen was lifted into the air by the foot and carried off.

"Shit! Lenalee! Go get Allen!" Mizuki ran over to her, killing two Akuma along the way.

"Your Dark Boots should allow you to catch up to the boy," Bookman agreed.

"Please go!" Anita insisted. "Allen is fighting all alone. No single exorcist can stand against so many." She thought of Cross sadly.

With a nod, Lenalee jumped off the boat and flew into the nearby mountains where the Akuma holding Allen was headed.

_Be careful guys_, Mizuki sent out a silent prayer as she rushed towards three Akuma headed for Anita.

They fought for what seemed like hours, but the number of Akuma never let up. In fact, it seemed to be increasing.

A chill suddenly ran up her spine. She quickly turned towards the direction Allen and Lenalee should be in. "What the hell is that?" she pointed to what looked like a huge white floating…thing. "All the Akuma over there are flying towards it."

"What the hell is going on?" Lavi wondered aloud. _It doesn't feel…right_.

"It disappeared!" The white floating mass suddenly disappeared and seemed to shoot down into the forest at the base of the mountains.

"You don't have time to look away!" an Akuma charged at her from behind.

"Unh!" she quickly turned around and blocked its attack with her bō. She tilted her head a bit to get a good look at it. Instantly her eyes widened. "You?!"

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A/N: Aw, Krory is ADORABLE sometimes when it comes to Eliade. Don't let her crazy evilness and Akumaness get you down! Yeah, so maybe this chapter was a _little_ more exciting? Anyways, more to come next chapter! Thanks for reading and I'll update asap!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own D.Gray-man or its characters!

A/N: Wow guys, I think this is the most reviews I've gotten for one chapter. Super special awesome thanks to nellchan0013, Celedeen Takarona, Sashum-Mushroom, and KaraxLavi13 for your awesome reviews! Thanks you guys!

* * *

Mizuki narrowed her eyes. "What are _you_ doing here?" Malice dripped from every word that left her mouth.

"Oh, so you _do_ remember!" he clapped his hands together. Before her was a young man, not much older than herself. He had an angelic face with smooth features and fair skin. His chestnut hair fell in loose curls and came to a stop just below his ears. He wore a very simple, white long-sleeved shirt paired with blue pants and black boots. His large black eyes regarded Mizuki excitedly, like a little kid who had just found his long lost favorite toy.

"How could I forget that stupid face? And what's with that expression? You look dumber than usual." She tightened her grip on her weapon and swung it towards his head. He jumped out of the way quickly and dropped back down so he was once again eye level with her.

"Now now, Rai-hime. That wasn't very nice."

"My apologies. It's been a while, Toki." She gave him a mock bow. "Now die!" she growled and lunged, stabbing at his chest. He took a step back and leaned backward, just out of reach. He smiled and placed a finger gently on her blade, directing it away from his chest.

He threw her a skeptical look and scoffed, "You didn't even let me answer your original question. Anyway, what are you trying to do? You could barely even scratch me last time and this time, I'm _much_ stronger. What makes you think you can destroy me now?"

"Last time I wasn't even given a chance to! And I would have gotten rid of you if it _he_ hadn't interfered. Speaking of which, wasn't that your plan from the beginning? To have him save me like that?"

"Ah, so you finally caught on," he sneered. "A little too late though. Anyway, the reason I'm here is because he wants to have a little chat with you. Hope that's okay." Without warning, he grabbed her weapon and wrenched it out of her grasp. Tossing it to the side, he quickly lunged at her, throwing a hard punch straight into her stomach. She flew backwards and landed several yards away with a grunt.

Mizuki coughed and welcomed back the air that was knocked out of her lungs. She clutched her side and sat up slowly, watching carefully as her attacker slowly approached. "Damn!" she wheezed. _That was just from one hit? He certainly is a lot stronger than when we last met. He must be close to a level three by now_. He knelt down and grabbed her by the front of her coat, thrusting her against the window of the cabin on the boat. She closed her eyes tightly as the shattered pieces of glass rained down on her head.

"Not so tough without your Innocence, are you?"

She didn't answer and instead tilted her head to the side, shaking the glass out of her hair with a bored expression.

He lifted his arm and ran his fingers through his chestnut hair. "Can't you just make this easy? It'll just be a little visit. He promised it'd be short," the aggravation was starting to come out in his voice. His eyes turned upward towards the sky and he rubbed his chin. "Actually, he's probably jealous that I get to see your pretty little face before he does. And it certainly _has_ been a while," his face was plastered with a smug smile.

"Like hell I'd go anywhere with you! And his promises mean nothing to me." He continued to stare at her blankly. Despite the situation, she sighed and brought up her hand to rub her temple in irritation. "Jeez, it's like annoying me is your hobby or something. No wonder you're his favorite."

He cocked his head to the side and looked into her chocolate-brown eyes. "You've changed…a lot Rai-hime. There's something…else in your eyes. I don't know what it is…." he leaned into her neck and inhaled deeply, raising goosebumps on her skin. "But damn, at least your blood still smells as good as ever. It's taking everything I have to not eat you right now," he breathed into her neck.

Lavi had just destroyed an Akuma when he heard the sound of glass shattering. He quickly turned his head towards the direction from which he heard it and saw the two. "Mizuki!" he ran towards her and stopped short when he nearly tripped over something. He picked it up and ran as fast as he could towards her. At that moment, the man flew sideways revealing Mizuki with her hand balled up into a fist, breathing heavily.

"Mizuki!" Lavi shouted, tossing her her weapon. She looked up and caught it, breathing a sigh of relief. "Who's that?" Lavi said with distaste as the boy struggled to get up.

"Asshole B." She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.

"What?" he asked confused.

"His name's Toki. He's a level two Akuma that I've fought with before." She turned back to Toki and pointed an angry finger at him. "I'm not going anywhere with you so you can just tell your _master_ to…to…go squeeze a lemon into his eye!"

Lavi took a moment to sweatdrop. "I don't think that was even remotely intimidating," he said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Shut up," she muttered. "Make that _two_ lemons!" she threw out two fingers.

Two more Akuma came down from the sky and landed next to Toki, who'd recovered. "Ooh, hey! Two exorcists right here!"

Toki rubbed his cheek tenderly and threw out his arm to stop the Akuma from attacking. "The girl is mine. You two can have the boy."

"Boy?!" Lavi shouted indignantly. "I'm practically the same age as you! Well…if you were human. And who says you can have Mizuki? She's not something you can own!" he took a step forward. "Who are you anyway? What do you –?"

"Lavi, I've got this under control," Mizuki interrupted, putting a hand on his (amazingly toned) chest. She turned her attention to the three Akuma. "I'm not something you can own! What am I, a piece of meat?" She pointed a finger at them. "Who do you think you are?"

It was as if Toki had just noticed Lavi's presence. Which he didn't seem too happy about. "Who are you?" he glared at the red-head with cold, black-as-night eyes.

"Leave him out of this!" Mizuki shouted.

He pondered this for a moment, then turned back to her. "You're right. I mustn't get distracted from my original goal. I _will_ bring you to my master, whether you like it or not," he sneered and began to transform. His skin split open as if he were simply wearing a Halloween costume, revealing his true Akuma from. He took the shape of a large black butterfly; the blades on the edges of his wings gleaming. Each of his six legs (gross!) had sharp pincers. The two Akuma next to him charged at Lavi, forcing him away from Mizuki. In turn, Mizuki lunged at Toki, cutting off his attack.

"I don't know why you always seem so mad at _me_, Rai-hime," Toki commented while they were dodging each other's attacks. His voice was distorted; less human-sounding. "I mean, it's not like _I_ was the one who killed him."

"You two were in it together! I don't care if you didn't kill him _directly_," she went for a diagonal slice across his chest (err..thorax?) and just missed. "Anyway, did you forget I'm an exorcist? You're my enemy regardless!"

He charged again, beating his wings to accelerate himself towards her. Mizuki barely got her weapon up in time to block.

"Besides, you're annoying as hell. That alone is reason enough to kill you," she added as she threw him off.

"Heads up!" Lavi came charging in, brandishing his weapon, aiming for Toki. Mizuki side-stepped out of the way to avoid getting hit and Toki flew backwards to do the same.

"That was fast! And watch where you're aiming!" Mizuki snapped.

"There were only two. Besides, I'm here to protect you, as always," he smiled cheerfully and tousled her hair.

_I kind of wish that weren't the case,_ Mizuki thought glumly. "You should be protecting Lenalee!" She knocked his hand away and pointed in the direction of their comrades.

"Lenalee has Bookman and Krory. If I left, you'd be fighting alone. Remember what Anita-san said earlier? 'No single exorcist can stand against so many' You'd be in that category."

"I hate it when you're right," she groaned, turning her attention back to Toki.

While the two had been talking, Toki was looking back and forth between the two exorcists. "Oh! I get it now!" he exclaimed, silencing the two. "_This_ is why you changed, isn't it, Rai-hime?"

"What is?"

He ignored her and turned his attention to Lavi. "You should feel special. It took my master waaaaaaay longer than this to get this close to her." He chuckled to himself. "The master is going to be very interested in this."

"I think I'm just as confused as you are," Lavi muttered out of the side of his mouth.

"Keep your stupid thoughts to yourself, Toki!" she said. "Or better yet, go be an idiot somewhere else!"

"You're just trying to get me riled up now, aren't you?" he sighed. "Well, I'm sick of playing." He extended his wings and flew straight at Lavi, his blades headed for Lavi's neck.

"Get down!" Mizuki cried. She threw herself into Lavi, dropping her bō in the process, and landed on top of him. "Wow, you really need a faster reaction time." She looked down at him. His eyes were wide with surprise. "Hey…" she bent down towards his face and looked at something on his cheek. Her breath tickled the tiny hairs on his chin. He resisted the urge to cup her face in his hand and bring it even closer. "You've got a cut here. You're bleeding." She lifted her thumb to her mouth and licked it. She brought it to his face and gently wiped the blood away. He winced and she grabbed his face with her other hand, holding him still. "Don't move…okay, done."

"You all right?" she scrutinized his face, checking for any other signs of injury.

"Y-yeah," he stammered.

"Good," she sighed with relief. "Because if you were –" she was cut off by being yanked forcefully away from Lavi. "Hey!" she tried to twist around, but was stopped short by Toki's pincers grabbing her, pinning her arms to her sides. Toki grabbed her tightly from behind, 

preventing her from movement of any kind. He began to fly away from the ship, towards the nearby village. "I'll kill you, you stupid bug!" she screamed.

Lavi quickly got up and ran to the side of the ship, his face livid. "Let…her…GO!" he began to climb up to jump after the Akuma.

"Psh. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Toki beat his wings quickly, creating a forceful wind strong enough to push Lavi backwards onto his back. "Save your breath, lover-boy. We won't keep her for long."

"Lavi!" she shouted to him as he tried to get back up. "Take care of Anita-san and Lenalee!"

"But, your Inno –" he looked torn between his desire to help Mizuki and his need to stay on the ship.

"Take care of that for me, too.

"I'll make this easier for the both of you," Toki lifted one of his fore-pincers and aimed it at Mizuki's neck. "If you try to come after us, I'll kill her."

He then flew off with Mizuki shouting "Be careful!", leaving Lavi feeling utterly alone. The red head looked down and spotted Mizuki's weapon. He picked it up and let it balance on his open palm. _It's heavy_, he thought with surprise. _I'll keep this safe, Mizuki. But I'm coming to get you as soon as I can. Wait for me._

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

In the air, Mizuki had her eyes closed tightly so she wouldn't have to see how high up she was. She was talking to herself, preparing for the meeting ahead, and distracting herself as well. "Damn it. Without my Innocence, I'll have to rely on hand-to-hand combat…which will be quite difficult against him. Then again, if I can somehow get away, I can warn the others to avoid this area. He'd probably catch me though. I'm already pretty tired from fighting Akuma all day."

"Would you be quiet? I'm trying to concentrate," came Toki's voice from above. "That boy of yours isn't very smart, is he?" he said with some amusement. "He should have realized that if I was taking you to my master, I wouldn't have killed you."

She remembered Lavi's pained look right before she left and felt a gentle tug at her heart. _He's definitely going to lecture me about this the next time we meet._ "Well, I'm just glad that he's kind of an idiot," she mumbled softly.

She felt Toki begin to descend and crinkled her nose when she felt leaves brushing against her face. She opened her eyes and forced herself to look down. _Okay. Not so bad._ They were flying just under the treetops.

"So what are you going to do when you meet him again?" Toki asked curiously.

"Tear him limb from limb," Mizuki said through clenched teeth.

He laughed loudly at this. "I don't think you could in this condition, to be honest. I'd be more afraid he'd do the same to me."

"You know, Toki…if you weren't an annoying evil demon-bug bent on world destruction, I'd probably like you."

He laughed again. "Is that so? Well, I like you a lot, even if you aren't on our side. You probably won't like me for this, though."

"For what?"

He suddenly released her and flung her further into the wood. She fell through the trees as the branches scratched at her skin. She landed on her back, the air knocked out of her lungs. Her head smacked the ground as a result of the impact, and she was rendered unconscious.

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More A/N: So yeah, hope you liked it. Btw, now that school's about to start, updates are probably going to be less frequent. Yep, so I'd like to apologize in advance. But I'll do my best!! Thanks again for reading guys!


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: D.gray-man is not owned by moi!

A/N: here's the long awaited chapter 10! thanks for staying with me for this long guys! thanks to those who put me on their alert/favorites lists! special thanks to nellchan0013, Sashum-Mushroom, and catnip565 for reviewing! this chapter's a little different than the other ones, but hope you enjoy it!

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Name: Mizuki

Gender: Female

Race: Japanese

Age: 18

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5' 1/2" --(note the ½ inch)

Weight: 105 lbs

Blood Type: O

Status: Exorcist

General: Froi Tiedoll

Team: Kanda Yu, Noise Marie, Daisya Barry

I was supposed to be meeting them in Barcelona. Er…rather, they were supposed to be meeting me. I'd gotten there a couple of days early, so I thought I'd scope out the town for a bit. You know, a little sightseeing.

"Um…could you help me? I'm sort of lost." And boy, was I lost. This had to be the fifth person I'd gone up to asking for directions. It's not that they sent me the wrong way or anything. It's more that I don't have any sense of direction at all. I'd been wandering around for what seemed like hours. No surprises there. Anyway, back to the guy. He had the type of hair you'd like to run your hands through and the type of eyes that crinkled when he laughed. What can I say? My hormones got the better of me this time. Yeah yeah, I know. Me, a girl, out alone in the middle of nowhere walking up to this pretty handsome guy and asking for directions. Maybe not such a good idea. But still, I had to try.

"The Sagrada Familia Church, huh? They were working on it the other day. Well, you're not too far. About fifteen minutes away. Luckily for you, I'm actually headed over there right now. I could walk you there, if you think you might get lost."

I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed by the whole situation. "Thanks a lot…um…what was your name?"

"Toki," he grinned.

Yep, that's when I first met Toki. And yeah, I thought he was cute. What?! This was _before_ I knew he was an Akuma bent on human destruction! People make mistakes!

I offered him a hand. "I'm Mizuki. Did you say I was fifteen minutes away?"

He took my hand and shook it. "Yep."

I groaned loudly. "That's what the _last_ person I asked for directions said. I must've been going around in circles all this time." I smacked myself in the forehead. I'm such an idiot.

Well, we'd been walking for maybe ten minutes and I was bombarded with questions. Nothing wrong with a little curiosity, right? I told him that I'd been camping out in the mountains in Switzerland and traveled over here to meet up with the rest of my team.

"Wow, that's pretty impressive, being able to live out on your own like that in the wilderness."

"Hmm...I dunno. I guess I just really like the outdoors. I mean, I like staying in hotels, but I start to feel cramped after a while. Although I am kind of stiff from sleeping on the ground all the time." I stretched my arms a bit.

"That's a strange coat you've got there." He eyed the silver emblem on my jacket.

"Yeah. I work for the order. In fact, I'm going to Barcelona to meet up with some of my teammates," I said proudly. "I'm actually a few days early."

"The Black Order, huh? Well then this might be a bit harder than I thought." He rubbed his chin.

"Eh? What's harder than you thought?" I gave him a really confused look.

"Killing you."

"Killing…me…?" I said slowly. I stopped walking. He transformed into a huge-ass butterfly, which doesn't sound too intimidating, but it was. I mean…he's a giant bug with weapons for goodness' sake.

I smirked and got into an attack stance. "Well this is unexpected. Not that I'm complaining. I've been itching for a good fight for a while." I grabbed my weapon and activated it as the townspeople around us screamed and ran in terror. With a yell, I charged towards him and swung my bō at his head. He simply flew back to avoid my attack. I then redirected my attack towards his abdomen, and missed again.

"Would you hold still?" I tried attacking again, but he dodged. "Argh!" I lunged and was able to nick him a bit in the side.

He flew high above me, out of range. "Nice try," he sneered. "but not good enough." He angled his wings so the sun gleamed off the metal blades and into my eyes.

I shut them tightly as I blindly held my weapon in front of me, waiting for the attack. But it never came. I opened one eye slowly and saw something white. The back of a guy's shirt. He was wearing a white collared shirt and black pants. His dark hair was a little messy, but ruffled in a way that gave him a wild sort of look. Behind his glasses were a pair of coal black eyes that went well with his ivory skin. He turned his head around to look at me and winked. My jaw dropped. The nerve of this guy! He ran towards Toki, who had somehow been thrown back and gave him a nice roundhouse kick in the head, sending him flying several yards away. My jaw dropped at the power of his kick. It must have been pretty strong to throw back an Akuma. And a level two Akuma, at that. Toki recovered and this mysterious man got into an attack position.

"Looks like I'll have to retreat for now, little girl. You won't be so lucky next time!" Toki growled and he flew away.

_Little_ girl? "My name's Mizuki dammit!" I started to run after him, "Get back –" but was stopped by the man's arm thrown in front of me.

"Don't be so reckless. He won't be coming back anytime soon."

What the hell? This guy upstages me, then thinks he can tell me what to do?

"Reckless? If you hadn't gotten in my way –"

"I think you should appreciate –"

"Appreciate what?" I interrupted, my face livid. "Appreciate the fact that you just let a demon go free where it could harm more innocent people? Yeah, thanks a lot for that." I shoved past him and headed in the general direction Toki flew.

He grabbed my arm tightly and whirled me around.

"What's your problem?! Let me go or I'll _make_ you!"

"I don't think that's a very good idea."

"Oh, and since when were you in a position to give me advice?" I poked my unsheathed weapon at his chest.

He squinted at my jacket and seemed to just realize who I was. His eyes widened and he loosened his grip, but did not let go. "An Exorcist?"

"Yeah, no kidding idiot. That's why I _need_ to after the Akuma. And let go of me!" I wrenched my arm from his grasp and returned my weapon to its proper place.

He stared at me for a while, thinking about something…"Mizuki-chan, right?" He asked, tilting his head and rubbing his chin. "What are you doing here?"

Referring to me in the familiar, eh? He's not gonna get away with that! "Who are you? Or better yet, who do you think you are? What are _you_ doing here?"

"You know, a cute girl like you shouldn't be traveling alone. Or be this hostile."

"Cut the crap and answer my questions." I folded my arms.

He laughed and scratched his head. "Feisty too. That Akuma was a level two, right? This is the second time I've encountered it. Unfortunately, without Innocence, I can't do much except drive it away. You probably could've defeated it if you activated your Innocence to a higher level. He'll come back eventually, which is why I'd suggest not running after it. Let it come to you instead."

This guy… "How do you know so much about Akuma and Innocence if you're not an Exorcist?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he smirked and winked.

Seriously, does this guy _want_ a punch in the face? Still, I couldn't just let him go. He could either be really useful, or really dangerous. Either way, I need to be on my guard. "You're coming with me." I grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him forward, towards my destination.

"Whoa! Hey!" he yelped, taken by surprise and nearly falling off-balance.

"I don't care who you are. But if you're not going to tell me, I'm going to have to assume that you're an enemy and therefore cannot be left alone. That means you're stuck with me for the next couple of days."

He dug his heels into the ground, stopping me. "If you must know, I am a researcher for the Black Order. Currently, I'm doing an independent investigation of the Noah."

"The…Noah? Hmm, I remember Komui-san mentioning something…I'll admit I really don't know too much about them though." I scratched my head.

"They are direct descendents of Noah himself. Their power derives from Dark Matter, similar to that of the Akuma."

"Are they demons as well?" I wondered aloud. I remember Komui-san saying that the Noah were extremely powerful.

"No," he said curtly. "They are human."

"Human…" I trailed off. That's pretty interesting. These 'Noah' are human, but use Dark Matter, which means they must be vulnerable to Innocence.

"But don't worry about them. That's my job," he smiled and patted me on the head.

What am I, a dog? I gently pushed his hand away. "Well, it's _my_ job to get rid of them if they're associated with the Earl, isn't it?" I said, irritated.

"I suppose" he shrugged. "Well, if you're going to be here for a while, you should come and stay with me."

I gave him a questioning look, raising an eyebrow.

His eyes widened and he waved his hands around. "That's not what I meant!" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "What I meant was, there's an extra bedroom where I'm staying. You can stay there for the next couple of days if you want."

Well…I _have_ been roughing it for a while…and it'd be nice to sleep on a bed for once… Besides, he doesn't seem like a bad guy. He did give me all that information about the Noah…he could probably teach me a lot in the next couple of days. Not to mention he did save me.

"All right. But if you try anything funny, I'll give you a reason to wish you were a girl."

He grinned, obviously amused by my threat. "Looking forward to it. And just out of curiosity, what are you doing in Barcelona? A mission?"

"I'm meeting my teammates here. They should be here in maybe two or three days. At least, I hope so." It wouldn't surprise me if Kanda decided to take an extra day or two to avoid being social in any way. Or to braid his hair.

"Your teammates huh? Well, let's hope they get here safely. We are in a war, after all." He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked up towards the sky.

"That we are." I said softly.

We began walking down the road as the townspeople recovered from their earlier panic when it hit me.

"Oh yeah! You know my name, but I don't know yours yet."

"My name?" he blinked.

"Well, as much as it pains me to say it, you _did_ save me. And you were kind enough to offer me a place to stay." I gave him a sincere smile. Yeah, it was one of those rare occasions.

He gave a me wide grin and bent down slightly so his coal eyes met my coffee ones. "My name is Tyki. Tyki Mikk."

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More A/N: Please review or message me your thoughts! Thanks for being so patient guys! I'll get the next one out asap!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Aaaaaah! I know you all want to throw cookies at me right now for updating so late...but it was the exam period! believe me, i'd MUCH rather be writing than taking exams. so i'm really really really REALLY sorry guys! here's the next chapter...i'll put the next one up soon! and don't worry, it won't take as long as this one did!

Disclaimer: i do not own d.gray-man or its characters.

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"Toki. Tell the other Akuma to go after the golden golem. It has the Innocence."

"Understood." He paused to glance at the unconscious girl. "What about –"

"Go." His voice was curt. There was some shuffling and she felt the breeze as Toki flew away.

It sounded as if someone was walking. She heard the creak of his knees as he knelt down not more than a few feet away. The sounds faded out again and she could only hear muffled speaking. She strained her ears to hear what was being said.

"I feel I should give courageous people like you time before they die. The blood will flow from your heart and your body will fill with terror. And you'll die, suffering."

She heard a strangled yell and the splash of blood.

"It's okay now," that same voice said, amused. "It's done."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Get off me, bastard." She spat in his face and struggled feebly against his iron grip. Undaunted, he remained immobile. Instead, he chuckled at her malicious action. He shook his hair out of his face. "That's what I always liked about you, Rai-hime. No matter what situation you're in, you always find a way to fight back."

"Shut up!" she breathed heavily. "You used me. I don't give a shit what you think." All the while, the wheels in her head were turning, weighing every option available to her.

He clicked his tongue at the back of his teeth. "It doesn't change the fact that _you_ were the one who betrayed _them_, now is it?"

She glared at him angrily then, averting her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to come out. "No. I made the mistake of trusting you. That was my fault alone."

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look back at him. He used his thumb to wipe away some of the blood that dripped from her mouth. His smile was menacing, almost inhuman. "I really like that look in your eyes."

Her fist tightened around her weapon, "Don't f--k with me!" She swung her broken arm upwards as hard as she could, using the momentum to embed the blade of her bō into the back of Tyki's shoulder. He flinched and stood up, getting off of her. She closed her eyes moaned softly at the relief of weight and the throbbing pain in her arm.

Tyki pulled the weapon out of his back and admired its edge covered in his blood. "I'm curious. What are you planning to do now that you have no weapon?" He ran his fingers along the handle, careful not to touch the blade containing Innocence. "You've used up all your energy. There is no way you can defeat me here."

She shakily stood up, gripping her bad arm tightly. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. _This is it. He's going to kill me now. I might as well die standing._ She opened her eyes and readied herself for death.

He smirked and disappeared, reappearing behind her with the blade of her own weapon at her neck. She let out a squeak when he pressed her against his body. _How can he still move so fast?_

"It's not like you to give up that easily." He nicked her slightly above her collarbone with the blade of her own weapon. She gasped as his blood dripped down and mixed with hers. _His_ Noah blood was flowing in _her_ veins. Her body trembled, but he held her up with his arm wrapped around her waist. "What are you going to do now? You can't escape me." He leaned over her shoulder and kissed her temple, then released her. Her knees buckled and she convulsed, falling to the ground. Then she became still. "You're a part of me now."

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mizuki's eyes shot open and she gasped, breathing in as much oxygen as she could. The air felt like fire in her lungs. She coughed and sputtered, blinking several times. Her vision was still blurry. Shapes and colors swirled and meshed together as she tried to focus. She shifted her position slightly, and she felt something that felt like lightning shoot up her left side. Crying out, she tried to move her arms to wrap them around herself, but found that they were tied behind her.

She closed her eyes tightly and tried to think. _Shit shit shit that hurts! _She took a slow breath. _Okay, assess the situation. Possibly a broken rib…which might've punctured a lung…_ (she flexed her fingers) _Maybe I can search for a sharp rock or something…_

"Awake, are we?" an amused voice came from above.

She slowly looked up and her eyes met with those of the Noah she longed to kill with her bare hands. "You!" she struggled feebly against her restraints. Even such slight movements took a toll on her. She stopped moving not only to prevent further injury to herself, but also to conserve what little energy she had left. _Crap. I'm still exhausted from fighting the Akuma all day._

"It's been a while, Mizuki-chan." He smiled pleasantly down at her. "Hope you're well. Did you miss me?"

"What do you want?" She said harshly through clenched teeth.

He smirked and sat down in front of her. His hand went to his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Reaching over, he struck the match on the tree right above Mizuki's shoulder and lit it. "My, my. You're always so anxious to get to the point. Why not relax for a bit?" He shook out his match and inhaled the cig deeply, enjoying its effect. The butt of his cigarette shone brightly and then went dull, blinking at Mizuki, mocking her.

She wanted to tell him how much she hated him for hurting her, for hurting her friends. She wanted to close her eyes and imagine that this was all a dream. She wanted to hear Lavi's voice saying, "We'll make it through this together." With that stupid smile of his. Lavi. Who always seems to know when something's wrong. Who drives her crazy with his teasing and silliness. Who has her Innocence. _That's right. He has my Innocence, which I intend to get back_._ If I die here…_she shook her head. _No. I can't die here. I won't,_ she promised herself. She didn't want to imagine what he'd say. But she needed to hear that stupid voice again. To see that stupid lopsided grin. Why? She wasn't so sure.

Tyki cocked an eyebrow at the change in her expression. "Thinking about _him_?"

Her eyes threw daggers at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He removed the cigarette from his mouth and exhaled, blowing the smoke upwards. He watched as it slowly disappeared. "Don't even try to play dumb. Toki already told me about your little friend." He let out an exasperated sigh and placed both hands on his knees. "What makes this guy so special?" he asked in an annoyed tone. "Do you _love_ this guy or something?"

She responded with a blank stare. _This 'love' business again?_

"Hey…are you really going to ignore me the whole time?" he frowned and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. His voice was more forceful now. "Tell me. What is it about him that's changed you so much? Don't think I haven't noticed."

She didn't answer and instead averted his gaze, looking over his shoulder. _What's that?_ There was something on the ground. Something large…maybe an animal? Or a person? There was a pool of something under it. Blood? But then her eyes caught the glint of the crest. The silver hair. The dull and lifeless eyes.

"A-Allen?" her eyes widened. "Allen!" she shouted. She wrenched herself out of Tyki's grip and struggled wildly, trying to free herself so she could get to Allen. Her movements drove her rib deeper into her lung, causing her to cry out in pain. She broke out into a fit of coughs and doubled over in pain. Blood splattered out of her mouth, sprinkling down her chin. Her breaths came in deep, loud gasps as she struggled for air.

"You shouldn't move so suddenly." Tyki narrowed his eyes. "You could very well die in the state you're in now."

She took a shaky breath. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Tyki Mikk. What did you do to Allen?" She clenched her fists behind her back, afraid of the answer. _He's not moving._

"Oh, cheating boy A?" He tapped his cigarette with his finger and the ashes fell to the ground next to him. "The Tease made a hole in his heart. But don't worry. He's not dead…yet."

"You bastard!" she spat. Her blood boiled in her veins. How could he do this to her? How could she let this happen? Again?! She shifted herself until her hands touched the ground, wincing as she did so. _Find something sharp. Anything._ She never wanted to kill a guy so much.

"I'm just following orders. The boy was on my list." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Quit fidgeting. Do you _want_ to die?"

She stopped moving and looked him square in the face. "Why do you care? Wasn't the point of bringing me here to kill me?" she asked, confused.

His eyes widened in surprise for a moment, and then he broke out into a fit of laughter, covering his face with his hand.

"What's so funny?" she said evenly, trying to look tougher than she sounded.

He quickly composed himself and took another long drag at his cigarette as he stared at her in amusement. He cocked an eyebrow and rubbed his chin. "You thought the reason I brought you here was to kill you?"

"Well you sure as hell didn't bring me here just to catch up," she said acidly.

"Actually," he attempted to put on a serious face, "I really did want to catch up. But you're right. That's not the only reason why you're here."

She sat back patiently, awaiting his response.

He took a deep breath, "How are you feeling?"

She looked up at him with dead eyes. "Why do you always insist on being such a dick?"

He held up his hands innocently. "Hey, you wanted to know why I brought you here and this is it."

"Piss off."

"This is going nowhere fast, isn't it?" He ran his hand through his untamed hair. He propped his head up on his elbow, cupping his chin in his hand and scrutinized her face, making her feel very uncomfortable. "Well, you look fine to me…"

She scowled. "Quit looking at me like that. And if by 'fine' you mean bloody, bruised, exhausted, and angry, then yes, I'm 'fine'."

"Well…the Earl has taken an interest in you. And we want to be sure you're exactly what he thinks you are."

"…there's something he wants from the Exorcists?"

"The Exorcists?" he snickered. "I don't know what you're talking about. Like I said, he's interested in _you_."

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More A/N: umm yeah...don't worry...lavi will be back next chapter! i just need to get this plot twist with tyki out of the way first!

Thanks so much for your reviews guys:

KaraxLavi13 - haha yeah, tyki's my second favorite character...and he's evil! so it just worked out that way. thanks for reviewing!

KinKitsune01 - rofl i LOVE reviewers like you who get into it! haha thanks for the review!

nellchan0013 - d.gray-man has so many cool characters, it's hard to hate any of them. except skin bolic, he's just gross. thanks for the review!

Zeyva - haha thanks for the support! it's very encouraging. and thanks for the review as well!

Kouyan - thanks so much! people like you are why i continue writing! thanks for your review!

hellbutterfly421 - haha well i'm glad you figured it out! i did drop a couple of hints during the series in an effort to encourage you guys to do some guesswork. thanks for reviewing!

To all those who added me onto their alerts/favorites lists, and to anyone else who has read my story, thanks so much!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey guys! I know you all want to kill me for the late update, but I tried to make up for it with a Lavi-filled chapter! (Since he hasn't really been in the last couple) But anyways, here you go!!! Thanks to everyone for reading/reviewing/alerting/favoriting/being patient!

Disclaimer: I don't own -Man or its amazing characters!

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There seemed to be no way out of this. She was too weak to escape and to be honest, she didn't really want Lavi and Lenalee to pop in for a visit at the moment. Especially not after she'd seen what he did to Allen. Tyki Mikk was in a good mood. And that's a dangerous thing. And if that wasn't enough, she'd just discovered that there was something about her the Earl found intriguing.

"He's interested in…me?" Mizuki said slowly. Her throat suddenly went dry. _What could the Earl of Millennium possibly want with me of all people?An exercise video?_

He gave her a serious look. "Yes. If you recall, you have _my_ blood running in your veins."

She rolled her eyes. _As if I'd forget something like that,_ she thought back to that ever-so-exciting day. Did he think she was stupid? Well, if she were smart, she wouldn't be tied up to a tree and having a lovely conversation with the man she wanted to kill, right?

Tyki paused to smoke. Then he cleared his throat and continued. "Well…there were two options that could have happened when our blood mixed. One: you could have died on the spot. Or two: you could have died slowly and painfully." He ticked off the options on his fingers.

"How pleasant," she drawled. "So I'm guessing option three won out?"

"It would appear so, but there's one teeny tiny problem," he held up one finger.

"And what's that?"

"There was no option three."

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean there was no option three? How am I alive then?"

He shrugged. "That's what we'd like to know." He took another long drag and eyed her curiously.

She stopped to think for a moment. Yes, she did indeed have Noah blood circulating through her body. But it's not like it's ever affected her in any way since then. Except for when it first came in contact with her and she passed out, she hasn't felt any different. What was going to happen to her? Would she eventually die? Or worse, turn into a Noah? She shuddered at the thought.

"Well, I suppose if nothing's happening right now, it doesn't matter." Tyki dropped his cigarette on the ground and stood up. He stomped the butt out and stretched his arms.

"Wait," Mizuki looked up at him, perplexed. "That's it? So you brought me here to make sure I haven't been having frequent seizures or something…and since I haven't, you're just going to wait until I do?"

"Not really." He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at her. "The Earl's more curious about how you're alive rather than the effects of our blood in yours. So he sent me on a little investigation."

"I never knew he was so caring. How kind of him," she said sarcastically. "Well, if I spontaneously burst into flames or something, you'll still be the first to know."

He let out a soft chuckle. "Glad to hear it." He bent down and patted her on the head endearingly. She tried jerk out of the way and ended up doubling over in pain once again. She coughed up some blood and her body quivered. She tried to take in slow, deep breaths to ease the pain.

"Here, I'll help you with that," Tyki offered. He bent down and brought his hand to the back of her head.

"What are you going to do?" she asked uneasily. Was he going to kill her now?

"Remember…we'll be keeping an eye on you." She gasped when she felt her whole body go numb. Tyki's grinning face swam in front of her and she disappeared into darkness.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Mmmm," She was clutching something soft. It felt like she was sleeping on a bed. A _bed_. A really comfy bed. She smiled and hugged whatever she was hugging closer, burying her face in it. Was it a stuffed animal? Then she heard a sort of choked, stifled noise. Without opening her eyes, she furrowed her brows and tried to turn onto her other side, trying to bring whatever she was holding with her.

But there was something wrong.

Whatever it was, it didn't want to go with her. Was it stuck? She pulled at it, and she heard the noise again. All of a sudden, she yanked really hard and felt something nearly fall on top of her with a strangled "OW!" Her eyes shot open and a hand covered her mouth muffling her scream. Shapes swam in front of her eyes as she tried to focus them in the darkness. There was something large hovering over her, pressing her body down against the bed.

For some odd reason, Lavi's face was less than an inch away from hers; their noses were practically touching. He was propping himself up with his free hand, which was next to her head. His eyes were wide with apprehension and he was panting very slightly.

Okay, so there was something wrong with this picture. She somehow found her way into a bed that certainly did not belong to her, and she was alone in the room with a man. Who was on top of her. On a bed. And hmm…yeah, looks like it's nighttime.

As she stared wide-eyed at him, she found a strange mix of emotions running through her. Relief, happiness, confusion, irritation, and something…else.

She was so aware of his hand covering her lips, callused from fighting, yet gentle. His breath on her face coming in quick, short pants. His eyes that were wide and brilliantly green, as always, and full of worry, relief, and surprise all at the same time.

It might have taken anywhere between a couple of seconds or minutes to register what was going on, time seemed incomprehensible at the moment. And even when she did register it, she still had no idea what was going on. She blinked twice, making sure what she was seeing was real.

"Um…uh…I…," Lavi stammered, his face turning beet red.

"Mm mmm mmm mmmmmm?!" she said from behind his hand.

"Oh! Sorry," he said quickly and removed his hand.

"What the _hell_ are you doing?!" she half-yelled.

"Shhh!" he shushed her and quickly put both of his hands over her mouth this time, leaning on his elbows. This brought his face even closer to hers. He stole a furtive glance behind him at the door and turned back to her. She narrowed her eyes and tried to look calm despite the heart that threatened to jump out of her chest. He could probably _feel_ her heart beating out of her chest, he was so close to her.

"Everyone's still sleeping, so please, if you're going to hit me, do it quietly," he pleaded.

Unable to respond verbally, she nodded. Breathing out a sigh of relief that gently blew the hair out of her eyes, he removed his hands from her face. But she could still feel his touch linger; her lips tingled.

"I'm not gonna hit you, you idiot," she mumbled, the heat from her face not just from his hands. "Now get off of me before somebody sees us." She put her hand on his chest and gently pushed him backwards so he was sitting on his knees. She got up slowly and carefully. Lavi opened his mouth to protest, but she put up a hand, which silenced him immediately.

She leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. When she opened them, Lavi was looking at her with an odd expression on his face.

"Any particular reason why you're ogling me?" she tilted her head to the side and pulled her knees to her chest tentatively so he could sit more comfortably across from her.

"Oh! Uhh…," he turned his head so he was staring at the wall. "Sorry." _Stupid, stupid!_ He mentally smacked himself.

"Hey," she reached over and tugged on his sleeve. He turned back and met her gaze. "You seem a bit…edgy. Is something wrong?"

"I…," he paused and exhaled sharply. "I thought you were dead." His voice came out slightly strained. "When I saw what he did to Allen…I thought he'd done the same to you."

Mizuki's head shot up. "Allen! Is he – "

Lavi shook his head. "We couldn't find him," he said solemnly.

She looked down and bit her lip. _I was there. But I couldn't save him_.

"It's not your fault," he said sternly, reading her thoughts.

"I know. I just…wish I could've done more to help him." She wiggled her toes and looked up. She looked at Lavi with a glint in her eye. "He's not dead, though."

"Mizuki…," he trailed off. "We saw what happened. Timcanpy recorded the whole thing. Suman's dead; Allen's arm was destroyed."

"But," she held up a finger, "Allen was _alive_. Tyki could have completely obliterated Allen if he wanted to. But he left him there at least half-alive. That means he didn't touch Allen's body after he knocked me out. He _must_ have left him there. And since you didn't see his body when you found me, that either means Allen just got up and walked out of the forest, or someone took him. And I don't think Allen was in any condition to be walking around." She folded her arms and grinned.

Lavi returned her grin with a crooked one of his own. "Maybe."

Her smile slowly faded away, and she looked down at her palms. "But Suman…"

"There's nothing we could have done, Mizuki."

They sat in silence for a while, awkwardly glancing around the room. Then Mizuki spoke up, "Why were you in here anyways? And more importantly, what were you doing when I woke up?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed nervously and scratched his head. "Um, well, you see, I sort of carried you in here and…maybe you were dreaming, but you sort of grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go. And I didn't really want to wake you up, so…yeah," he finished awkardly

"So…_I_ pulled you on top of me?" her face blanched.

"Hey, I'm not complaining," the expression on his face was very smug.

Her eyebrow twitched. She reached over and grabbed the front of his shirt. "I take it back. Maybe I _will_ hit you."

"Aw, come on," he whined, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "I was only joking!"

Suddenly, she released him and brought her hands to her stomach. She could feel the bandages beneath the shirt she was wearing…which she just noticed didn't belong to her. "Why am I bandaged?"

"Well, we weren't going to let you just bleed to death…you were a mess when we brought you in."

"Who bandaged me?" she demanded. It was imperative that she know.

"Lenalee and I did," he said happily.

"Lenalee…_and_ you?" she cocked an eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Oh!" his face flushed. Why was he so nervous? "Umm well, Lenalee sort of…undressed you, and I dressed your wound, then bandaged you up. But I didn't see anything, if that's what you mean!" He looked away as he said the last bit.

She let out a sigh. "No, I trust you."

His eyes slowly traveled back to her. "You do?"

"Of course I do you idiot!" she punched him playfully in the arm. "I wouldn't have left my Innocence with anyone else. Speaking of which, where is it?" she glanced around the room.

"It's right there," he pointed across the room to the dresser. Her bō lay there, looking no different than when she had left it.

She made a motion to get up, but Lavi stopped her, "I'll get it." He hopped off the bed and grabbed her weapon, being careful not to make any noise.

He walked up to the side of the bed and held it out for her, bowing as he did so. "For the lady," he winked.

Why is he so charming all of a sudden? Wasn't this annoying before? She thought as she rolled her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the weapon.

It was like a hot iron was put to her hand. She dropped it with a loud "OW!" as a stream of profanity left her mouth. _What's going on?_

_

* * *

_

More A/N: Thank you for reviewing and reading my story guys! You guys are what keep me going!

KinKitsune01 - thanks for the encouragement! It really helps! haha and tyki is TOTALLY sexy!

Cassiel Lorna - thanks for the support! Yeah, I'll definitely be incorporating a little more Tyki into this story, I'm glad you like it!

Celedeen Takarona - haha I'm glad the chapter satisfied your fanfiction needs at the time!

bellaXmonster - thanks for the review! yeah, i'm trying to keep it a little bit suspenseful

nellchan0013 - Ugh, skin is gross! but I guess a topless kanda is worth it, right?

Kouyan - I'm glad you found the chapter amusing haha

KaraxLavi13 - yeah lavi's got an AMAZING laugh and he can SING!

Zeyva - Mizuki's past will be revealed in due time, don't worry!

ayumidream - thanks for reviewing!

Marika-Uchiha - i'm glad you like the story! lavi and tyki are awesome characters!

bwatasha - thanks for reviewing!


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I do not own -man or its characters. Just Mizuki.

The door opened a crack, light from the hallway spilling into the room. Then, Krory and Lenalee suddenly burst in, looking around wildly, their faces lined with worry.

"What? What's wrong?" Krory readied himself for an attack. "Is it Akuma?" He scanned the room.

His eyes fell on the two youngsters. Mizuki was staring at her hand with disbelief, her mouth moving soundlessly. Her hand was cupped by Lavi's, his expression just as bewildered.

"Mizuki? Are you all right?" Lenalee asked worriedly.

Lavi quickly put his hands behind his back and threw them an apologetic look. Mizuki looked up, suddenly noticing her guests. "Oh! Sorry about that. Didn't mean to wake you guys up…" she rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly with her good hand.

"Something wrong with your hand?" Lenalee pointed with her index finger.

"What? No, of course not! There's nothing wrong with anything. I'm fit as a fiddle," Mizuki hid both her hands behind her back and smiled innocently.

Lavi rolled his eye and scoffed. "_This_ does not count as 'nothing_'._" He grabbed her wrist and took out her hand to show the others.

It was an angry pink, as if she'd placed it on a stove for a few seconds._ I feel like a show pony..._ she thought bitterly as Lenalee and Krory came to scrutinize her hand.

"It happened when she made contact with her weapon," Lavi explained.

At this, Krory lifted an eyebrow, waiting expectantly for further clarification. Lenalee sat next to Mizuki on the bed and lightly placed a hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "Let us know what's going on. Please."

Mizuki glanced at Lenalee's pained expression and sighed. Her gaze traveled up to Lavi, who gave her an encouraging nod. Krory's expression was calculating and anxious. _I suppose I could…no, I should. Maybe it'll help us find Allen._ "Yeah, you guys deserve to know. I'm gonna try and start from the beginning."

Krory and Lavi drew up chairs while Mizuki flexed her hand experimentally and winced. "Hmm….all right. I guess I'd better start at the beginning."

She explained everything from her first meeting with Toki to her most recent meeting with Tyki. The Tyki's blood, Daisya's death…everything. When she got up to the part where Tyki nearly killed her the first time, she could feel the blankets bunch up under Lavi's fists. Ignoring it, she continued. None of them took their eyes off her the entire time, making her shift uncomfortably as she spoke. When she finished sat back and waited for any signs of response. When she didn't get any, she started up again. "_Now_ do you guys see why I was so hesitant to tell you guys my story?" Her voice broke and tears began to well up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She blinked several times, trying to rid herself of them. "Do you realize _now_ that it's dangerous to be anything more than just acquaintances?" Her eyes flickered quickly over to Lavi. "Do you know how much it would _kill_ me if –"

"Mizuki!" Lavi interrupted.

She stopped talking and swallowed the lump that had crawled up her throat.

"We're not going to regret being your friends, if that's what you're getting at." His eye twinkled.

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and sniffled. "But –"

"Don't be an idiot."

She frowned and looked at him carefully. _They seriously still want to be my friend even after all this? I basically told them I'd used them to get to Tyki._

"He's right, you know," Krory added. "There's no point in splitting up now. You're stuck with us. Besides, Lavi would throw a fit." His lips curved upward into a knowing smile, baring his fangs.

Lavi put his finger to his chin and he looked up towards the ceiling, pretending to think. "You know, I think I would."

Lenalee agreed, "It's important now more than ever that we stay together."

Mizuki laughed out loud. She felt lighter now that she knew these were people she could truly count on. "Leave it to Lenalee to put it best!" she took Lenalee's hand and squeezed it lightly.

"We're in this together, and that's how it's going to stay," Krory stated, his tone final.

"And isn't that what I've been saying all along?" Lavi pointed to himself with a smug smile. "Anyway, so what are we going to do about your situation? How's your hand doing?"

"Better. It's sort of fading. See?" She wiggled her fingers in front of his face. The palm of her hand and her fingers were indeed a lighter pink.

"Yes, but how are you going to fight without your Innocence?" Krory said thoughtfully, his brows furrowed together in contemplation.

After some thought, Mizuki's head suddenly shot up, her eyes bright. "I've got it!" she said looking around excitedly. "Uhh...any of you know where my clothes are?"

"Right here," Lenalee reached over to the bed-side table and handed over the neatly folded uniform.

Mizuki quickly unfolded the coat and frowned. "Wow, I really took a beating, didn't I?" The coat had numerous rips and tears, which could only indicate the thrashing she must have had from the fight. She could still make out the dried blood that refused to come out even after washing. Then she proceeded to rip the sleeves off her jacket and wrapped the strips crudely around her palm and fingers. She held her hands out expectantly. "Well? Let's give it a try!"

Lavi grabbed her bō and handed it to her cautiously.

Mizuki slowly wrapped her fingers around the staff. Hmm, nothing. She let out the breath she'd been holding. "It doesn't hurt!" she exclaimed happily, gripping more tightly.

Lenalee cleared her throat, "I need to update nii-san on the situation. I'll be right back!" She jumped up and left quickly...

"Wait! Lenalee! Komui-san doesn't –" Mizuki started, but Lenalee had already bounded out of the room. "-need to know…about this." she finished lamely. _I didn't really want to give him something else to worry about….but I guess it can't be helped._

"So...how's she holding up then?" Mizuki asked her two comrades tentatively.

"Lenalee's still very upset…," Krory said somberly. He knew she was talking about the situation with Allen. He took a seat down at the far end of the bed and suddenly became interested in a knot on the wooden floor.

"Well, we all have to move on eventually," Lavi's voice was firm, but his expression faltered.

Mizuki turned to throw him an incredulous look (obviously she did not appreciate his pessimism about Allen's survival), which he did not meet.

_Jeez, everyone's so down today…_Mizuki grimaced. She agreed; it seemed that the odds were against them. But Allen could never go down that easily. "Listen. You guys never found his body, right? If that bastard Tyki really killed him, he would have just left his body there. Someone must have taken his body and _saved_ him. I just know it!"

Krory suddenly stood up with his back to them. There was a moment of silence, and then he spoke, "You know what Mizuki? You're right." He turned around and winked. "We can't lose hope now."

"Mmm," Lavi wasn't convinced.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

Mizuki groaned as the sun shone through the window straight into her eyes. "Morning," she grumbled to no one in particular. She sat up in bed and yawned, stretching. Something caught her eye mid-yawn. "Hmm?" she reached over to her bedside table and picked up what appeared to be new clothes. Unfolding the top and holding it out in front of her, she took a moment to scrutinize it. A grin slowly spread across her face. "Leave it to Komui-san to know exactly what we need." It was an exorcist jacket that ended above her elbows and had a hood in the back along with a pair of matching black pants.

She put on the clothes excitedly and had a mock battle in the middle of the room. The new outfit was much more flexible and felt more durable. She laughed aloud. "Wow Komui-san! You've outdone yourself this time! Thanks! Eh? What's this?" She felt around in her pockets and pulled out a pair of black gloves lined with silver, which she put on. "You really think of _everything_," she grinned. _I'll have to thank him once we get back to headquarters._

Mizuki then walked out of her room and down the hall. She began to hear voices and followed them to find Krory, Bookman, and some other woman all gathered in a room. "Mornin' guys!" she waved. "Hey! It looks like you guys have new outfits too! Haha, awesome!"

"Well, good morning _beautiful_" came a voice from behind her.

She turned around slowly and there he was. His hair was messy, not being held back by his headband and having just woken up. He had a three-quarter length sleeved exorcist jacket and black matching pants. He was also wearing a pair of fingerless gloves. Her mouth dropped as she took in the newly dressed Lavi.

"Hmm? Something wrong?" he ruffled his hair a bit more in confusion.

(PhantomWolf24: Oh, please. Don't tell me you did not DROOL when you saw his new outfit. That AND his hair when it's down? Guhhhh beautiful.)

Mizuki caught herself quickly. "Uhh…no! Of course not! Hehe…" she laughed nervously and continued to stare as he walked towards the back of the room. _Wow Komui-san. Wow._

"Ah, Mizuki-chan right?"

It took Mizuki all her willpower to tear her eyes away from Lavi and look at whoever was talking to her. She appeared to be a woman in her late twenties with black wavy locks. She appeared very shy and unsure of herself. She took a hesitant step forward and held out her hand. "I'm Miranda Lotto. I've already heard about you from your friends."

_Grr, who's been talking about me? _Mizuki shook her hand firmly and smiled. "Hello Miranda. It's nice to meet you. You're an exorcist too I see," she pointed to Miranda's outfit.

She laughed in response. "Yes, I have worked with Lenalee and Allen before –" she cut off midsentence and covered her mouth with her hands.

Mizuki could hear a sharp intake of breath from everyone in the room. When she followed the direction of everyone's gaze, she nearly jumped when she saw Lenalee sitting silently on the stairs. She appeared to be staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

"She's trying to pull herself together. Lenalee regrets leaving Allen's side last night. She blames herself." Bookman explained solemnly.

"Lenalee…" Mizuki whispered softly.

All of a sudden, the sound of shattered glass rang throughout the room. All eyes turned to Lavi, whose fist was in front of the window he apparently just broke. He was panting and his body shook.

"Cut it out already," His voice was deathly quiet. "There was…nothing we could have done. We were all fighting with everything we had last night. We couldn't have saved him no matter what!" His voice began to rise steadily. "This is a war! We had no choice! Now _get over it_ and stand up!" he shouted.

Tears began to fall silently down Lenalee's face as she continued to stare at the wall.

Lavi turned to see Bookman, Krory, Miranda, and Mizuki throwing him identical accusatory stares. "You made her cry…" they all mumbled.

Bookman grabbed Lavi by the neck and began strangling him. "I apologize, Miss Lenalee! I'll impose a special punishment on him right away!"

Mizuki came over and punched the top of Lavi's head, digging her fist into his skull. His strangled noises turned into yelps of pain. "Bookman-san is right, Lenalee. Don't listen to this idiot." She walked over to Lenalee and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure wherever he is, Allen is thinking of you too."

"Why?" Lavi asked Bookman "It's not like I said anything wrong…"

This earned the redhead a righteous smack in the back of his head. "Is this the behavior of an Apostle of God?" Panda grabbed the collar of Lavi's uniform and pulled him closer. "You are the successor to 'Bookman'. Nothing more, nothing less." The old man's eyes became dark. "Haven't I taught you to be a bystander in _any_ situation? Don't be drawn in by the war. We just happen to be on the side of the Order, so that we can record history. Don't forget your purpose, Lavi."

"I-I get it," Lavi mumbled apologetically. _That's right. My purpose. I am the successor of Bookman_. "I'm sorry, Panda."

Mizuki turned around after hearing numerous Panda-hand to Lavi-face contact.

"Well, besides that…" Bookman turned to look out the window at the horizon and scratched his chin. "Because I believe in the prophecy of the Destroyer of Time, I don't believe for one second that the boy is dead."

This caught Lenalee's attention and she tore her eyes away from the wall to listen to what Bookman was saying. Tears did not cease to flow from her eyes.

"The reason I asked to be placed in Cross's unit was because I was interested in the boy. I thought perhaps the 'Time' in 'Destroyer of Time' may be a reference to a certain man. Perhaps Allen Walker will be the one destined to destroy the Millennium Earl. If that is the case, then he cannot die here."

Mizuki walked over to stand by the window. "I thought I said that…ah, never mind. Whatever gets the job done, I suppose."

At that, a knock came at the door. "Exorcist-sama, is something wrong? That was quite a racket coming from in here just now…" Mahoja came in, looking confused.

Mahoja caught sight of the window and turned around, her face scarier than Skin Boric's on a good day.

"He did it…" Krory and Bookman both unabashedly pointed towards Lavi, who was sweating bullets on the other side of the room.

"Wow guys. Way to sell out your friend…" Mizuki sweatdropped...

"I'm sorry…" he said in a strangled voice. Mahoja pretty much flash-stepped over to Lavi and thrust her angry butch face in front of his. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" the boy pleaded. He quickly crawled over to the nearest person, which turned out to be Mizuki, and clutched her hand.

"Hey!" she protested, trying to shake him off.

"I-It's okay. Here, look at the window." Miranda chimed in. A golden ring began forming around the hole in the window and with a flash of light, it looked good as new.

"It fixed itself!" Mahoja exclaimed.

Mizuki just stared with her mouth agape (remember, she had just met Miranda so she had no idea what her power was).

"Yes. While my Innocence is activated, real time cannot enter the airspace around this ship. The ship will continuously restore itself to its best condition," Miranda clarified. "In addition, while we and the crew are within this airspace, any type of injury will be healed."

Mizuki walked over to the window, dragging Lavi on the ground with her, an expression of awe on her face. She took her free hand and lightly tapped on the window. "Wow," she breathed. "It's good as new. Cool!"

Lavi stood up and released Mizuki's hand. "That's a handy ability!" Her hand burned.

"In truth, this is a temporary ability. If this ship enters battle again, please don't be reckless," she warned. "What I learned at headquarters was how to increase my synchronization rate with the Time Record and extend its activation time. If I release the activation, everything will revert back to real time. My ability cannot bring the dead back to life," she added.

Mahoja nodded. "I understand. I'll inform everyone."

"But, will you be all right, Miranda?" Mizuki wondered. She scratched her head, "With you taking care of the entire ship and everyone in it, that's gotta be exhausting."

"Mizuki is right. No matter how I calculate it, this ship will take five days to reach Japan. Does that mean you must keep it activated continuously?" Bookman asked thoughtfully.

"Th-that's right! While it's activated, you can't sleep!" Lavi cried.

"Ah!" Miranda was quick with a response. "Not sleeping is my specialty!"

"Ehhhhh?" Everyone blinked.

Miranda launched into a story, "Once, I was unemployed for a long time. During that time, I was thinking of how useless I was and I didn't sleep for ten days! Besides, I was so frantic about my first assignment that I hadn't slept for three days already, so don't worry," she giggled at their expressions on their faces.

"I'd say this is a bit worrisome…" Mizuki sweatdropped.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

(A/N: Sorry for the excruciatingly looooooong delay guys! Since I know an apology just isn't going to cut it, here are some Lavi cookies! And Tyki cookies! *throws cookies at readers*. Haha anyway, I know a lot of you want to see more of Tyki, BUT this is a Lavi story. I _will_ be throwing some Tyki in now and then when the time is right, but in the end, it's a LavixOC story…sorry guys! That's it! New Chapter will be up REALLY soon! As always, let me know how I'm doing! This was a long hiatus and I may be a bit out of the groove, but I'm working on it! Thanks!)


	14. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: Mizuki and Toki are mine! Everything else is…NOT mine!

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

He sniffled and tried to ignore the biting wind that was blowing against him. The night air was crisp and cold as the foreboding moon waned above him. He stood at the bow of the ship and rested his head in his arms on the railing.

"We're not their allies. We're only involved in order to record history…" he paused and sighed, thinking. _My reason for being here…what I've dedicated my life to…with war comes death. Always._ "A bookman has no need of a heart," he mumbled into his arms.

"There you are!"

Lavi turned around and quickly put whatever he was holding back into his pocket. Mizuki was standing innocently with her head cocked to the side. "You all right? We were wondering where you were…" she walked over to where he was standing, and looked up at him.

"Hmph," he huffed and averted his gaze.

"Hey!" she flicked the side of his head.

"Ow!" he winced and looked at her. "What was that for?" he asked, rubbing the side of his head.

"What do you think? For being an idiot all day today! First you make Lenalee cry, and now you're mumbling nonsense to yourself," she rested her chin on her folded arms in front of her.

"But –"

"No buts," she said firmly. "As long as you're human, you have a heart," she said softly, her gaze steady.

"Now, when you two are done blathering…" a menacing voice came from behind them.

Both Exorcists drew their weapons quickly, but before they could even ready themselves they were blasted off their feet.

The sound of scurrying footsteps could be heard all about the ship as everyone came to see what the commotion was.

"The main mast has been broken!" a sailor shouted.

As the dust subsided, it revealed a humanoid-looking…thing.

It was floating over something and held his hands as a director of a movie would while viewing a scene. "Title: Corpse of an Exorcist," Its voice was deep and grating.

"Arrrrrrgh!" Mizuki burst out of the rubble and whacked the back of the Akuma's head with her weapon. "Get away from my _friend_, ugly!" she unsheathed her blades and went in for a lunge.

It simply flew away and Mizuki fell forward, following the momentum of her thrust.

"Gouka Kaijin…HIBAN!" Lavi had snuck up behind the Akuma and landed a direct hit, engulfing it in flames. "Dammit. Such pointless injuries," he panted.

After a few seconds…"Title: How did you recover?"

"What? But you hit him head-on didn't you?!" Mizuki cried as she got up.

"I thought I did!" Lavi growled. The Akuma was forcing the hammer away from its head with his hands. Lavi tried putting more pressure on it. The Akuma simply threw the hammer off and flew up into the air.

"I-it can't be a level –" Mizuki stammered. "– _three_?"

Lavi's gaze shifted to the Akuma above and then to Mizuki and his eyes widened. "Oh shi-" He pushed Mizuki out of the way as the Akuma flew down and said, "Title: Escape Sealed!"

"LAVI!" she screamed.

The Akuma was about to land a punch, when he was suddenly stopped mid-punch. Mizuki barely Bookman say quietly, "Heaven Compass. Needles of Spells: North Crime!"

She sighed in relief and turned her attention back to the battle. The Akuma was caught in a blast of light and was getting impaled by the black needles.

"Gramps!" Lavi sighed gratefully.

"You idiot, getting us worried over nothing. Now," he said, speaking directly to the Akuma. "I will finish you off, but not until you answer a few of my questions. Where did you come from?"

"Title," came the Akuma's voice from the needle mummy before them, "Eshi was created from the soul of a Japanese painter."

"You would not have attacked us in the middle of the ocean if you were hunting humans." Bookman's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you under the Earl's orders?"

The Akuma grinned evilly from under the needles. "Do you wish to know Cross Marian's current condition?" Just then, the Akuma jumped up and grabbed Bookman with his teeth, dragging him into the sky as it flew upward. "Title: Immortality Reversal."

"SHIN!" Lavi extended his hammer and took it upwards towards his mentor.

"Lavi!" Krory shouted.

"As long as they don't go too far from the ship…" Miranda said to herself.

"What? What do you mean?" Mizuki whirled around to face Miranda.

"Once you're out of range of my Innocence's power, the time returns to the present."

They looked upward to see Bookman falling from the sky as a shower of needles came down.

"Bookman! Lavi!" Lenalee jumped up and began running on the handle of Lavi's hammer. "Innocence! Level Two!"

"Lenalee! No, he's too powerful!" Mizuki tried running after her, but Krory grabbed her collar, yanking her backwards.

"_You_ stay _here_," Krory tightened his grip and looked up. "Damn, what happened to Lavi? And Bookman?"

"LENALEE!" they could hear Lavi's shout from the clouds.

"Krory, let go! They _need_ me!" Mizuki struggled against the tall vampire.

"Stop it." Krory spun the girl around and forced her to face him. "You can't fly! You don't have an Innocence that can extend! What do you think you will do? We cannot help them up there. The most we can do is protect the ship and the people here. You need to _think_, Mizuki. Don't just go running around recklessly."

She took a moment for his words to sink in and slumped her shoulders. She hung her head, letting her bangs cover her eyes. "I just hate feeling helpless. And I don't want what happened to Alle-"

He shook her forcefully. "Focus on what's happening _now_. Only what you decide to do _now_ will determine what will happen."

Krory could make out the beginnings of a smirk on Mizuki's lips. She looked up at him and gave him a full-on smile. "Heh. Thanks Krory. Even if your lectures are sometimes boring, they do make sense."And she ran off, leaving Krory, who appeared frozen.

"My lectures are…boring?" Krory's eyebrow twitched. He shook himself mentally and decided to shrug it off. "Whatever gets the job done, I suppose. I'll deal with that runt later." He smiled menacingly, and activated his Innocence, baring his fangs.

A huge explosion on the ship's deck knocked everyone off their feet.

"Huh?" Miranda blinked after being knocked to the ground. "I'm not hurt. What's going on?" She looked up and saw several of the crew standing over her, protecting her from the blast and taking it themselves.

"Miss Exorcist, are you all right?"

"You all! When the time returns to itself, your wounds…they'll…" Miranda managed to choke out.

"Oh this? Don't worry. We already took a few good hits earlier. We already realized that our deaths are inevitable. Since we can't be saved, we might as well become your shield." A sailor gave her a cheeky grin.

"AAAARGH!" Krory screamed at the clouds. "They're all lurking in the clouds, those cowards!" He deflected a blast with his cape.

"What should we do, Krory?" Mizuki redirected a blast using her bō. "Unh! We can't ward them off!"

"Hiban!" A tower of fire surrounded a bunch of the blasts.

"Well it's about _time_," Mizuki grumbled, despite the grin on her face.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Mizuki, Kuro-chan."

Krory turned to Lavi, his brows furrowed. "That reminds me, stop calling me that."

Bookman jumped up on top of Miranda's clock that was keeping the ship together. "Leave this to me. Needles of Protection: East Crime!"

Lavi raised Oodzuchi Kodzuchi and readied himself for his next attack, "Raitei Kaiten! I'm counting on you Kuro-chan!"

"Leave it to me!" Krory flew forward and grabbed the mallet-end of Oodzuchi Kodzuchi.

"Ten Ban!"

Lightning burst forth from Lavi's Innocence and dispersed into the clouds above.

Krory landed next to Mizuki. "Did we get them…?"

"I don't think so!" Mizuki shoved Krory out of the way and blocked several blasts headed in their direction.

"YOU MISSED THEM COMPLETELY, YOU IDIOT!" Krory bellowed as he recovered and continued to dodge the Akumas' attacks.

"Che! So just firing at them won't work at all, huh?" Lavi gritted his teeth.

"Well we can't just keep on – ahh!" Mizuki yelped as she and the others were thrown to the ground by the rocking of the ship.

"What's going on? An earthquake?" Krory shouted over the roar of the ocean.

"I…can't turn…the helm!" came Mahoja's voice from the wheel.

"Uh oh…EVERYBODY GRAB ONTO SOMETHING!" Mizuki shouted as she jumped onto the mast, as the ship began to sink.

"What is this?" Miranda fell to her knees. "Even though the Time Record's limit hasn't been reached, it –" she looked down at the Innocence on her arm and saw glowing purple chains. She reached over to try and take it off. It gave off some static discharge and she winced upon contact.

The waves began to climb up on all sides of the ship, as they sank, trapping them in what seemed to be a funnel of ocean.

"Grow! Grow! Grow!" Lavi commanded. His weapon was now big enough to cover quite a large area of the ship and deflect the Akumas' attacks.

"Will Lenalee be all right by herself?"Krory wondered, looking off into the distance.

Lavi tightened his grip on his Innocence and his expression darkened. "Lenalee said to protect the ship." Then he looked back at his friends and smiled. "If the ship is destroyed, Lenalee will have nowhere to return to."

"Now _that's_ the fighting spirit!" Mizuki playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Now, let's go kick some Akuma ass!"

After about an hour or so of fighting, the battle began to take a toll on Krory.

Attacks rained down faster than the Time Record could keep up with.

"Uhhhhh…" he moaned weakly.

"What's wrong Krory?" Mizuki called over to him from several yards away. He was clutching his head in pain. "You're paler than usual."

"I've run out of demon blood," he groaned.

Lavi jumped onto the mast and began running down it to get closer to the Akuma. "Dammit! We have some persistent bastards here –" he lost his footing and slipped. He didn't even hear Mizuki's shouts as three blasts forced him into the unforgiving sea.

With a snarl, Mizuki dropped her weapon and dove into the ocean. She made out his sinking body and grabbed him by his scarf, pulling him to the surface. She dragged him to the ship where Krory quickly yanked him out of the water.

Krory bent down to Lavi's neck and began sucking out the demon blood that had entered Lavi. When he was finished, he shook the unconscious redhead. "Lavi! Lavi!"

Mizuki threw herself onto the ship and leaned over Lavi's face, checking for signs of breathing. She quickly laid him down and unzipped his coat. His bare chest was unmoving. "If you die on me, I'll kill you."

She gently lifted his chin and tilted his head back as she placed her lips over his. Pinching his nose, she puffed as much air as she could into him. She watched out of the corner of her eyes as his chest rose. She kneeled over him, placing her hands over his heart and pushed, doing compressions. She bent down and breathed into him again. Compressions again. She bit her lip and her eyes began to sting. "Wake _up_ you idiot!" She did her third set of breaths. Except this time, when she tried to lift her head to do compressions again, she was stopped by something holding the back of her head. Her lips were pressed firmly onto Lavi's and she blinked, her tears falling onto his cheek. When he released her, he sputtered and coughed a bit, but still held a grin on his face.

Then she slapped him.

"Ow!" Lavi yelped.

Mizuki was breathing heavily, her still hand stinging from the slap. "You IDIOT! I was saving your _life_. Save the romance for another day!" she half-shouted, the tears in her eyes making him blurry.

"Ah, but it was totally worth it in my opinion. Eh? What's this?" Lavi felt up his neck and fingered what appeared to be puncture wounds.

Mizuki wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Krory."

"I'm revitalized…" Krory said happily, holding his fist in front of himself.

Lavi quickly pulled down the collar of his coat and revealed semi-bloody bite wounds, which came from none other than Krory.

"You have _no_ idea how disturbing it was to watch him do that…" Mizuki made a disgusted face.

"How lucky for you. It seems I'm able to suck out the demon's poison before it spreads. Thanks for the meal." Krory flashed his razor sharp fangs.

"…sucked it out?" Lavi turned a few shades green as Mizuki made gagging noises. "What kind of meal is that?"

"Idiots!" Everyone jumped at Bookman's voice. "How long do you plan on standing there talking? Get out there and defeat the enemies, you stupid pieces of trash!"

"Ouch, Bookman-san," Mizuki winced at his harsh words.

Krory gnashed his teeth together. "How dare he say such a thing to me?"

"Why aren't you using the Wood Seal, Lavi?" the old man shouted.

His student's eyes widened. "Oh! That's right! I do have a move like that. Jeez, what kind of idiot am I?"

"Several kinds," was Mizuki's response as she picked up her weapon.

"You guys, come over here," Lavi grabbed the vampire's pointed ear, beckoned Mizuki over, and began whispering intently.

Mizuki put a finger to her chin. "Well, that's an interesting idea."

"Yes, I see. But with this footing …" Krory scanned their surroundings.

"If we can't do it, we'd best say goodbye," Lavi said with an unwavering expression

"I won't accept a death like that," Krory grunted.

At that moment, the ship began to shift once again, but this time resurfacing.

Krory glanced at Lavi. "Now's our chance!"

Bookman agreed. "Go, Lavi! Take them out!"

"Yes, sir!" Lavi jumped up into the air with Oodzuchi Kodzuchi and brought out a ring of seals, each with a different kanji on it. He brought his hammer down upon the one that had the kanji for 'wood' on it, and shouted, "Moku Ban: Tenchi Bankai!"

A single ray of light shot into the sky, coming from the seal. Once the light reached the clouds, lightning appeared to rip open the sky and scatter in all different directions. After a moment, the clouds began to disperse and the twinkle of the moonlight off the Akumas' armor could be seen.

Mizuki and Krory grinned at each other and jumped up into the air.

"Here...we…go!" Lavi used the end of his hammer to give his two teammates the momentum they needed to reach the Akuma in the sky.

Krory landed on one, then jumped to another without them noticing.

The third, Mizuki landed on and tapped its head with the blunt end of her blade. "Oi! Up here!"

"Huh?" the Akuma tried reaching for Mizuki, but before it could, she slammed her blade into its skull. Then, wrenching it out, jumped off to join Krory as it exploded, gaining the attention of the other two Akuma.

"E-Exorcists!" they yelled in surprise.

Krory scoffed at them. "So it was just you three, huh?"

"And they're all level two's at that!" Mizuki sneered.

"What the….my body is acting strange!" one of the Akuma cried as it slowly disintegrated.

"M-Me too!" the other one said.

"I've injected you with my blood," Krory explained. "I'd love to drink all your blood this second, but you've killed far too many of my comrades for me to do just that. Now you will suffer as they did. My blood is filing your body with Innocence as we speak. It's like poison to you. Suffer and die." The two Exorcists jumped back down to the ship as the remaining two Akuma exploded.

"Red…snow?" Miranda wondered as the Akuma remains fell down upon them.

Krory and Mizuki landed with a thud, startling Miranda and the crew.

"Crimson. Snow teeming with the scent of blood," the moonlight glistened off Krory's fangs. "Lovely, isn't it?"

"You know, Krory…" Mizuki began, as she dusted off Akuma from her coat, "sometimes you're a bit creepier than you realize. I really don't think you needed to explain in great detail _exactly_ what you did to those Akuma." Thud. "Eh? Krory?"

Krory had collapsed face-down. Miranda shrieked and crawled over to him. A sailor lifted him up, "He's really pale!" Miranda screeched. "It's anemia! Didn't you drink any demon blood?"

"S-shut up," he managed to say.

"Hey! Look over there!" A crew member pointed to a column of golden light that was disappearing fast.

"…Lenalee?" Mizuki wondered aloud.

OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO

A/N: Sorry for the wait again! But much shorter this time, no? Let me know what you guys think about the story! Keep on the lookout for the next chapter! Thanks so much for reading and thanks especially to the reviewers! You're a big help!

Diclonious57 – yeah I agree, not enough OC stories. There's so much yaoi! And don't worry, Mizuki won't turn into a Noah…I have different plans for her….MUAHAHAHAHA!

Kouyan – thanks for reading!

Jessikherrka – thanks =) your support means a lot. Let me know if there's anything I can improve on!

Holly-Batali – haha yeah there was definitely droolage going on during that scene. GUHHHH.


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